Sarkozy’s new phone unveiled
14,100 models of latest securely-encrypted phone ordered by Ministry of Defence
COMMUNICATIONS specialists have revealed “the future mobile of Nicolas Sarkozy”.
The Ministry of Defence has ordered 14,100 of the latest phones – specially encrypted with their own network to increase security – from electronics specialists Thales.
According to news group LCI the phones will be delivered next year.
In June 2007, ministers were warned by the national security agency SGDN to be wary of their telephone conversations as they risked being intercepted.
The head of the project at Thales Pierre-Jean Nicol said: “At the moment there are only two countries in the world that have successfully developed such a product, the United States with the company General Dynamics and France with Thales.”
The project to develop a new secure network specifically for the government and military, named Le Téorem, has taken around 100 engineers two years.
“If a telephone is lost by its user, the phone will be banned from the network to stop anyone else being able to use it,” added Mr Nicol who said the model was “the future mobile of Nicolas Sarkozy.”
Phones will be built at Cholet in the Maine-et-Loire department. They will not be available to private buyers.
