TSTT hacking a storm in a teacup

THE EDITOR: Cyber-terrorism is an international problem from which no institution is immune. Our own AG Department and even the US Pentagon have been targeted, so why the public outcry over TSTT? Cyber criminals only need to get it right once while the company needs to get it right every time.

The calls for the firing of the entire board and leadership team were premature and destabilising and now that a review is conducted publicly, the hacking appears to be a result of human error in not protecting his/her password.

At the beginning of this century, what can only be described as a perfect financial storm struck TSTT: Deregulation and the opening up of the telecom market meant loss of market share. An ageing copper plant was unable to support emerging broadband services and had to be replaced with fibre-optic and free voice calls over the IP network, all impinged on the revenue streams, causing the company to eventually operate at a loss.

Restructuring and staff reduction were deferred for several years, but that has not mitigated the impact. The company was re-engineered to adapt to changing customer demands and the results speak for themselves. It moved from near bankruptcy to profitability in a relatively short time, thanks to fiscal discipline and creative management headed by the past CEO.

Finally, the update on retirees: TSTT’s management informed CWU of its intention to pay an outstanding 1.5 per cent from the pension surplus so now the union is organising another protest to force the company to pay what it has already agreed to.

KEITH GONZALES

retiree

Telco/TSTT