From: azur@netcom.com (Steve Schear)
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 1997 11:49:54 -0800 (PST)
To: toto@sk.sympatico.ca
Subject: Re: Newt's phone calls
Message-ID: <v02140b03af01913cbaa5@[10.0.2.15]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


>> The take on this that we won't hear is: "This is outrageous!  Why don't
>> cell-phones offer encryption to ensure our privacy?"
>
>  Cell-phone encryption is 'essential' for 'important' people.
>  However, it is 'dangerous' in the hands of the 'citizens' (translate
>that
>to mean 'schmucks').
>  The government doesn't object to crack-dealers having cryptography
>capabilities, they just want to make sure that those crack-dealers
>work for the CIA (freelancers need not apply).
>
>Toto

When I worked at Cylink we developed a product, called SecureCell which
combined a standard analog cellphone (NEC I think) and a version of our
SecurePhone.  Despite the fact that it could thwart any but the most well
funded eavesdropping we only sold a handfull.  It was quite pricy (about
$6,000) and required a small suitcase to tote, but even so only a few gov't
agencies (mostly diplomatic) and execs thought it was worth the trouble.

One problem facing such devices are the interruptions caused by
cell-to-cell handoffs.  These can occur even when stationary. SecureCell, I
believe, used off-the-shelf line modems.  I've read newer modem
technologies (Spectrum and AT&T) have pretty much solved this problem.

There's no reason Eric Blossom's phone encryptor can't be readily adapted
to cellular to offer a secure and more reasonably priced cellular
encryptor.



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