Verizon teams with Cellcrypt for government phone encryption
updated 12:50 pm EDT, Mon April 30, 2012
Joint Cellcrypt and Verizon service by Fall
Verizon and Cellcrypt are collaborating to supply the US government with secure mobile calling capabilities. The government-grade encrypted voice calling service is aimed to be marketed to military, intelligence, and civilian agencies in the fall as a currently unnamed co-branded service.
The service, aiming to prevent the interception of sensitive voice communications, is undergoing testing with several government agencies. Users of the service will be expected to download an app to an Android, iOS, or Blackberry smartphone or tablet, enabling calls to be encrypted to federal information processing standard (FIPS) 140-2 and avoid monitoring by other interested parties.
"As a matter of national security, military and government personnel must be able to communicate sensitive information over their mobile phones, and it is imperative that these conversations be protected from interception," said Kathleen Peters, VP of business development at Cellcrypt. "The combination of our world-class encryption solution and Verizon's networks will enable both companies to help strengthen the government's ability to effectively combat cybersecurity threats."
The current version of Cellcrypt offers a single user five-year license for £2,660 ($4,300) with discounts for over 25 users. It is unknown how much the Verizon-Cellcrypt joint offering would cost.
