PLDT, Inc. and technology company Microsoft announced on Tuesday a partnership aimed at strengthening the country’s security infrastructure against cyber threats.

“Security is at an inflection point as cyberattacks become more sophisticated and digital attack surfaces exponentially increase. We believe that anything less than comprehensive security is no security at all,” Microsoft Philippines Country General Manager Andres Ortola said in an e-mailed statement.

Under the partnership, the two companies will work together through Microsoft’s Cyber Threat Intelligence Program (CTIP), which was created in 2013. CTIP collects and distributes actionable cyber intelligence.

“CTIP data are also engineered into specific Microsoft products and services to help customers identify threats in their computing environments,” the technology company said.

The company also said that CTIP is driven by its Digital Crimes Unit, an international team of technical, legal, and business experts created in 2008 to combat cybercrime on a global scale.

“Its expertise and unique view into online criminal networks uncover evidence used as criminal referrals to law enforcement agencies throughout the world.”

The partnership also means that PLDT will have access to Microsoft’s Digital Crime Unit’s cyber threat intelligence in real time.

“This intelligence will provide better insights into criminal cyber infrastructure located within their jurisdiction. PLDT, in turn, with its network domain knowledge, can help in two-way sharing of intelligence to identify compromised infrastructure and alert impacted entities in the country to potential cybercrime threats,” Microsoft said.

According to Mr. Ortola, Microsoft’s Digital Crime Unit has completed 24 malware disruption operations worldwide to date.

This resulted in “millions of devices kept safe from cybercriminals and preventing millions in financial losses,” he added.

For his part, Angel T. Redoble, first vice-president, chief information security officer, and head of PLDT and Smart Communication’s Cyber Security Operations Group, said: “Our mature and sophisticated threat intelligence operations is one of the keys and most robust pillars of the PLDT group’s cybersecurity structure.”

“We are glad to partner with Microsoft to help fortify our strong cyber threat intelligence operations, and to help us better protect our customers in particular, and the country’s cyber defenses in general,” he added.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Arjay L. Balinbin

GLOBE Telecom, Inc. on Tuesday said data traffic in its fifth-generation (5G) network continues to increase, mainly due to the growing demand for high-speed mobile broadband, especially with the rise of data-intensive applications.

“For the full year of 2021, Globe has served up to 6.71 petabytes of data in its 5G network,” Globe said in an e-mailed statement.

The company said it saw a “27x increase” in monthly data traffic in its 5G network this year, growing by “35.2% month-on-month.”

“As of end-December 2021, Globe logged over 1.62 million devices in its 5G network, as it reaches 96% of NCR (National Capital Region) and 84% of key VisMin (Visayas and Mindanao) cities in terms of 5G coverage,” it added.

5G technology, which offers speeds up to seven times faster than 4G, currently provides the fastest mobile connectivity and download speeds.

“It also has ultra-low latency, greater bandwidth, superior network reliability, and the ability to connect to more devices,” Globe noted.

The company has fired up more than 2,000 5G cell sites and upgraded 12,900 cell towers nationwide.

“Of the total number of 5G sites, over 1,400 cell sites are in Luzon, over 300 are in the Visayas, and over 230 are in Mindanao,” it said.

Globe recently reported that it was recognized by global standard Opensignal for having “the largest uplift in mobile multiplayer gaming experience, with an improvement of 65.2%.”

“5G Video experience with Globe was also elevated to a rating of excellent, with an uplift of 32.8% better than 4G,” it said in a separate statement. — Arjay L. Balinbin