I'll comment. Another report I've read gives some of the detail of what the FBI actually wants from the system. This includes the ability to:
- eavesdrop on any conversation within 10 minutes of it taking place.
- obtain the seat number of the passenger making any call.
- "expeditiously interrupt" any call in progress
- cut off service to all passengers except government agents (!)
All seems a bit OTT to me, especially the last - not aware of anything in the GSM system that allows it to identify a phone belonging to a 'government agent'.
Read another report that the only system currently close to approval/deployment is OnAir - which is European. American electronic companies are allegedly lobbying their regulators to procrastinate and delay approval until a competing American system is ready to roll...
R1