Telecom equipment makers to develop encryption for mobile phones

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2-2-97. Nikkei English News:

Telecom equipment makers to develop encryption for mobile phones

Three telecommunications equipment makers will cooperate in developing scrambler technology to prevent interception of mobile phone calls and other misuse. Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., NEC Corp. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. will put up a combined 1.9 billion yen to open a research laboratory in Yokohama on Feb. 12.

Within five years the facility is to perfect encryption technology to protect wireless communications and data transmissions, and for possible use in electronic commerce.

The government-affiliated Japan Key Technology Center will contribute 1.3 billion yen to the lab.

Researchers will work to develop a mobile communications version of "public key" scrambling technology now used to secure data transmitted online.

Emphasis will be placed on encryption methods requiring minimal data exchange, because conventional encryption requires large volumes of data and could interfere with communications over mobile phones.

The center will also work on technology allowing secure communications, either voice or data, between two or more parties over mobile phones.