Philippines eyes Japan to build 5G network amid China’s dominance, cyber fears

The offer is seen to be linked to a proposed agreement that Manila and Tokyo are exploring to permit troops on either side to enter each other’s territory for joint military exercises and enhanced defence cooperation, especially in maritime areas.

Japan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Yoko Kamikawa is reportedly set to discuss the 5G plan and the finalisation of the bilateral defence pact in the Philippines next month.

The construction of base stations for the open radio access network (RAN) in the Philippines could begin in the next few months ahead of the building of a 5G network.

“The downside that I’m seeing here is the cost. Chinese 5G technologies are renowned for their low cost and efficiency in addition to the current Chinese telecoms footprint in the country. So the entry barrier for Japan is significant,” Sherwin Ona, an associate professor of political science at De La Salle University and a visiting fellow at the Institute for National Defence and Security Research in Taiwan, told This Week in Asia.

Cyber technology was one of the areas of cooperation under a Manila-Tokyo-Washington trilateral agreement, Ona said.

Japan’s efforts to boost the Philippines’ cyber capabilities further reflected its reputation as a reliable partner after it helped the Philippine coastguard and military to modernise, he added.

Given their strong bilateral diplomatic and economic relations, Japan’s offer of sharing technical expertise in the 5G domain was not a surprise, said Allan Cabanlong, a former senior official overseeing cybersecurity at the Philippines’ Department of Information and Communications Technology.

“Japan and the Philippines have collaborated in 3G and 4G already. The collaboration on the 5G network is not something new and