DICT eyes stricter cybersecurity conditions on Mislatel
To protect against possible threats to national security, the country’s third telecommunications player, Mislatel Consortium, will be subject to more stringent cybersecurity requirements. The consortium – Mindanao Islamic Telephone Inc. (Mislatel), Udenna Corporation, Chelsea Logistics Holdings (CLC), and China Telecom – will be required to comply with new conditions, to be drafted by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the National Security Adviser and other government agencies. DICT Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr. said the requirements will be more stringent than those sought from the other two players, Globe Telecom and PLDT Inc.’s Smart Communications. Rio did not disclose the specific conditions. The security review comes as Mislatel undergoes its post-qualification assessment stage, and as lawmakers call for closer scrutiny of the security risks posed by using a Chinese state-controlled company.
