Philippine major telecom operators say US ban on Huawei will not affect local users

MANILA, May 20 (Xinhua) — Two major telecommunication operators in the Philippines on Monday assured local users that their Huawei handsets and devices “will continue to function normally” despite the US government’s order on restricting the transfer of its technologies to this Chinese technology firm.

The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) and Globe Telecom issued separate statements assuring their users that the US move to ban Huawei, one of the world’s biggest telecommunications equipment suppliers and smartphone manufacturers, has no impact on their services.

PLDT said in the statement released on Monday that “in light of the recent trade ban of the US government on Huawei products,” the company assured its customers “who have availed of Huawei handsets and devices via its official channels that said products will continue to function normally on the PLDT network.”

It added PLDT “will work closely with Huawei in addressing concerns regarding future firmware and software updates for phones, pocket Wi-Fi units, and other devices.”

For its part, Globe Telecom said on the same day that “it is aware of the news circulating that some US technology companies are cutting their ties with Huawei.”

“We wish to assure our customers that the current situation at Huawei will not impact its network services,” Globe Telecom said, adding the company has received “assurance from Huawei that the company will continue to provide security updates and after sales services to its device users using the Globe network.”

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the US Department of Commerce on May 15 put Huawei and its affiliates on an “Entity List,” which would restrict the sale or transfer of American technologies to the company.

According to the data from Philippine Statistics Authority, there are more than 130 million active mobile phone subscribers in this Southeast Asian country.

PLDT and Globe Telecom, the two largest telecommunication firms in the Philippines, account for around the market share of 75 percent. Both companies use Huawei equipment in their networks and sell Huawei phones to their subscribers.