In Iraq, I had knowledgeable folks swear to me that cell phones had never been used to detonate bombs there. Those images we've all seen on CNN -- they're of long-range cordless telephone, not cells. The cell network just isn't reliable enough for a quality-conscious bomber, they say. Since I've been home, I've had other people swear the exact opposite to me.
Either way, New Scientist is right in saying that cells "provide a simple yet effective way for terrorists to remotely trigger a bomb." And that's why it'd be great news if an idea for "a portable device devised by US defence contractor Raytheon [to] quickly identify and disable such weapons" really works out. {Here's a link to the patent.)
The device includes a transmitter that mimics a cell phone base station and a metal horn to concentrate the signal from a 10 milliwatt power source in a single direction. Scanning... a concealed phone... with the tool... tricks it into thinking it is in range of a new network base station and blocks it from any genuine stations in the vicinity.
The suspect phone will also respond with a handshake signal containing its phone number, allowing a network operator to temporarily disconnect it from the real network, and preventing it from receiving a detonation call.
(Big ups: CC)
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