PLDT and Smart Communications join other cable and telecommunications providers to intensify the battle against illegal cable cutting.
The coalition embarked on a campaign dubbed, “Oplan Kontra Putol,” which condemns illegal cable cutting as a “disservice to customers.” Illegal cable cutting involves perpetrators who intentionally cut cables and wires to sell them for profit.
In addition to pursuing a comprehensive consumer education program, the campaign also involves the deployment of efficient security and patrolling systems and tighter collaboration with local authorities and government units.
PLDT has been at the forefront of industry-wide initiatives for the mutual protection of telecommunications infrastructure across the country, helping ensure unhampered access to connectivity and telco services for families and communities.
In June of this year, PLDT’s Asset Protection & Security Risk Governance (APSRG) organized and launched the National Telecommunications Security Council (NTSC), an informal group composed of Corporate Security Professionals from the different telcos which aim to facilitate the sharing of intelligence information and the coordination of activities against the common threat posed by thieves and other perpetrators.
Year-on-year, PLDT logged a 422% increase in apprehensions related to incidents such as theft between January to July 2021 and January to July 2022. The rate of apprehensions exceeds the 59% increase in loss incidents for the same period. These incidents involve network equipment, such as cables and batteries, among others.
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PLDT’s intensified asset protection initiatives also include the use of analytics in allocating security resources and teaming up with “force multipliers” in local government, police, and other industry security groups. These efforts have resulted in the reduction of loss incidents (down 55%) and an increase of apprehensions (up 45%) between April and July 2022 alone.
