Globe Telecom, Inc. has put forward a national utility resiliency plan that would establish coordination procedures between government agencies and telecommunications operators to speed the restoration of essential services after disasters.

The Ayala-led telecommunications company argued that restoring telecom services should be treated as a priority electricity and other essential utilities during disaster response.

“Restoring telecommunications should therefore happen alongside power and other essential utilities, supported by a national framework that allows government and industry to move quickly and work together,” Globe General Counsel Vicente Froilan M. Castelo said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to Globe, the proposed framework is designed to address the logistical and infrastructure constraints that can delay the restoration of telecommunications services. The positioning carries practical weight because telecom networks carry communications for households, businesses, and emergency responders alike, so prolonged outages can leave disaster-affected areas without a reliable channel for coordination.

The company said it raised the proposal during discussions on mobile network policy principles involving the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), an international organization representing mobile network operators. Globe said it asked the GSMA to encourage governments to develop comprehensive utility resiliency plans, noting that telecommunications infrastructure faces risks from severe weather and natural disasters. Raising the issue through the GSMA also gives the appeal an international dimension, as the association represents mobile operators across markets rather than in any single country.

“We can build stronger networks, prepare our teams, and position resources ahead of severe weather, but there are dependencies that no telecommunications operator can address alone,” Mr. Castelo said.

Under the proposal, telecommunications restoration teams would receive priority access to government transportation and logistical resources when damaged or inaccessible roads prevent them from reaching affected facilities.

“Telecommunications networks depend on other critical infrastructure to operate, including commercial power, fuel, transportation, and secure physical access to network facilities. This means restoration can be delayed even when operators have teams, generators and equipment ready for deployment,” Globe said.

The company also called for policy incentives to help telecommunications operators finance additional disaster-resilience measures. These investments, it said, could include more backup power systems, stronger network infrastructure, and additional network redundancy to maintain service availability when facilities are damaged or disrupted.

“Stronger structural standards, additional backup systems, and greater network redundancy carry significant costs, making a supportive policy environment important to sustaining resilience investments while operators continue expanding and improving their networks,” it said.

Globe added that it continues to invest in backup power, network redundancy, and satellite connectivity as part of its own disaster preparedness measures.

For the proposal to take effect, it would need to be taken up by the government agencies and telecommunications operators it is designed to coordinate, making any official response the next development to watch.

Shares in Globe rose P4, or 0.26%, to close at P1,519 apiece on Tuesday.

Source: Ashley Erika O. Jose, BusinessWorld — Globe proposes national framework for telecom disaster recovery