Gigi Onag, LightReading Journalist Profile

Articles

SKT could lose $5B from data breach fallout

6 days ago | lightreading.com | Gigi Onag

SKT faces potential losses of up to $5 billion from waived early termination fees and lost revenue as a result of the massive USIM data leak. Gigi Onag, Senior Editor, APACSK Telecom (SKT) could lose as much as 7 trillion Korean won (US$5 billion) over the next three years from waived early termination fees and lost revenue as customers seek to jump ship in the wake of a major data breach that compromised universal subscriber identity module (USIM) information.
TPG Telecom marks LEOsat milestone with first direct SMS to mobile phones

1 week ago | lightreading.com | Gigi Onag

TPG Telecom announced on Tuesday that it has successfully sent a series of direct-to-smartphone text messages from rural New South Wales in Australia on its Vodafone mobile network using Lynk Global's low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites as part of ongoing tests to demonstrate the feasibility of direct satellite communications without any modifications to existing smartphones.
SKT to suspend new customer subscriptions amid USIM card shortage after cyberattack

1 week ago | lightreading.com | Gigi Onag

SK Telecom will temporarily stop accepting new subscribers to prioritize the ongoing USIM card replacement for existing customers affected by the recent cyberattack. Gigi Onag, Senior Editor, APACSK Telecom (SKT) has heeded the South Korean government's call to stop signing up new subscribers due to a shortage of USIM cards, as the operator struggles to replace the SIM cards of some 25 million SKT customers and MVNO subscribers affected by a malware attack on its internal systems.
CMHK becomes first Hong Kong telco to discontinue 3G services

2 weeks ago | lightreading.com | Gigi Onag

China Mobile Hong Kong has received government approval to shut down its 3G network on June 30, 2025. Gigi Onag, Senior Editor, APACChina Mobile Hong Kong (CMHK) will discontinue 3G services in Hong Kong on June 30 as it focuses its resources on developing 5G and other advanced network technologies.
Thailand tightens mobile banking security with checks on foreigners

2 weeks ago | lightreading.com | Gigi Onag

Banks and telecom operators in Thailand are expected to subject approximately 2.5 million mobile phone numbers to a verification process to ensure that the name registered on the SIM card matches the name on the mobile banking account.
SK Telecom takes full responsibility amid USIM hacking fallout

2 weeks ago | lightreading.com | Gigi Onag

SK Telecom puts its hands up for any damage caused by a hacking incident involving USIM-related information that affects about 25 million people. Gigi Onag, Senior Editor, APACSK Telecom (SKT) said Sunday it will take full responsibility for any damage caused by a cyberattack on USIM cards that has raised fears of a major data leak of subscribers' information, as South Korea's acting President Han Duck-soo ordered the government to review the adequacy of the operator's response measures.
PLDT confirms plan for 12th data center as it launches the first AI-ready hyperscale facility in the Philippines

2 weeks ago | lightreading.com | Gigi Onag

The PLDT Group has confirmed news reports that came out this week that it is planning to build its 12th data center in General Trias, Cavite in the Philippines.
YTL Communications to deploy fiber along 1,600km of railway tracks in Malaysia

3 weeks ago | lightreading.com | Gigi Onag

Telco operator YTL Communications has been awarded a contract by Railway Assets Corporation (RAC) to deploy fiber-optic infrastructure along 1,600km of railway tracks from Perlis to Johor and Kelantan in Malaysia. YTL Communications has been selected by RAC for the 2023 tender, which is part of an initiative to open up the development of telecommunications infrastructure along RAC railway lines to licensed telecom operators.
XLSmart officially launched as Indonesia's third-largest telco

3 weeks ago | lightreading.com | Gigi Onag

XLSmart, the company formed by the merger of XL Axiata and Smartfren Telecom, has officially launched in Indonesia. Gigi Onag, Senior Editor, APACXLSmart, the company created by the merger of XL Axiata and Smartfren Telecom, has announced its official launch in Indonesia, becoming the country's third-largest operator by subscriber base with 94.5 million customers.
Viettel doubles Vietnam's bandwidth capacity with submarine launch

4 weeks ago | lightreading.com | Gigi Onag

With a capacity of 50 Tbit/s, the Asia Direct Cable submarine cable system provides Vietnam with more than twice the combined bandwidth of its five existing international submarine cables. Gigi Onag, Senior Editor, APACThe Vietnam segment of the Asia Direct Cable (ADC) submarine cable system is now online, providing 125% more bandwidth than the country's total capacity, Viettel Networks announced on Wednesday.