WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2529/96 by Amedeo AMADEO to the Commission. 'Cloned' mobile telephones
Date: 1996-10-08
Institutions: AMADEO, European Parliament
Subjects: confidentiality, fraud, product quality, radio telecommunications, technical standard, telecommunications industry, telephone













EUR-Lex - 91996E2529 - EN






Avis juridique important




|



91996E2529

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2529/96 by Amedeo AMADEO to the Commission. 'Cloned' mobile telephones  


Official Journal C 091 , 20/03/1997 P. 0010 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-2529/96 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (8 October 1996)Subject: 'Cloned' mobile telephonesSince mid-February 1996, mobile phones and other types of mobile communications equipment have been subject to free competition. This has opened the way to a wider choice for consumers and lower prices. Cellular phones have now become an extremely common means of communication.The very large number of cases of 'cloning' and fraud currently being brought to light in Italy and other Community Member States highlight the need for the Commission to take new steps to impose proper standards of quality.Would the Commission agree that it should, in conjunction with the leading firms in this sector, look into the technical feasibility of introducing security mechanisms which make it impossible, or at least extremely difficult, to clone mobile telephones? Fraud of this kind obviously has an impact on the whole of the Community and undermines the confidentiality of this new and extremely useful means of communication.Would it also take immediate steps to ensure that adequate protection is provided for GSM telephones, which are not yet a target, given that they are more difficult to copy?Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission (13 November 1996)The Commission, through its contacts with the mobile communications industry, is well aware of the problems related to fraudulent use of mobile phones. It considers that the prime responsibility for fraud control, like in other commercial sectors, must lie with the market players, in this case the mobile network operators and service providers.With regard to the pan-European digital mobile cellular system (GSM), it is the objective of the GSM operator community joined together in the GSM memorandum of understanding Association to make GSM as secure as the fixed telephone network. For that purpose, the Association has set up a security group which produces guidance in the area of security and fraud control.Moreover, in order to counter the potential threats associated with the use of radio transmission, GSM was technically designed with the potential weaknesses of the older analog cellular systems in mind (for instance cloning is a typical problem for these older systems). Counter measures to prevent the services being compromised include a high level encryption on the radio path which implies anonymity and confidentiality to protect against cavesdropping, a strong authentication to protect against billing fraud, and measures to protect operators from compromising each others' security whether inadvertently or because of competitive pressures.Despite the procedure set in place and measures taken, fraudulent use can never be fully excluded. Operators must keep abreast of the security procedures in place and the cost and effectiveness of the security measures taken.