Philippines' Globe Telecoms launches 5G service backed by Huawei equipment

By Neil Jerome Morales
MANILA, June 20 (Reuters) - Philippines' Globe Telecom Inc
GLO.PS on Thursday launched Southeast Asia's first 5G
broadband service, with embattled Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
HWT.UL providing the equipment, a win for the Chinese firm
despite cybersecurity worries from Western nations.
The telecoms firm aims to offer high-speed internet to tens
of thousands of homes and offices in key urban centres as part
of its $1.2 billion capital spending this year, Alberto de
Larrazabal, Globe's chief commercial officer, told reporters.
Globe would use Huawei's equipment like radios and modems to
deliver 5G quality broadband internet, he added. Huawei and
Finland's Nokia were Globe's equipment providers for its 4G
service.
The United States had warned that next-generation 5G
equipment, which some telecoms experts see as more vulnerable to
attack than previous technology, could be exploited by the
Chinese government for spying if supplied by Huawei, which the
company denies.
Washington, a treaty ally of Manila, had persuaded
governments and telecoms operators to shun Huawei, the world's
largest maker of telecommunications equipment. Globe hired independent firms "to ensure that our security
protocols are up to date, to make sure privacy and security
issues are addressed," de Larrazabal said.
Philippine consumers, the world's top social media users,
often get frustrated with slow and choppy internet connections.
The Philippines' mobile internet and fixed broadband speeds lag
behind its neighbours, data from Ookla's Speedtest Global Index
showed.
It ranks 107th among 178 countries in terms of fixed
broadband speed at 19.55 megabits per second (Mbps) versus the
global average of 59.6 Mbps. Among 140 countries, it ranks 107th
in terms of mobile internet speed at 15.10 Mbps, nearly half of
the 27.22 Mbps global average.
Globe is owned by Philippine conglomerate Ayala Corp, with
Singapore Telecommunications Ltd holding a minority stake.

(Editing by Alexandra Hudson)