New Wireless Signal Jammer Hits Canada, Asia
By Jay Wrolstad
Wireless NewsFactor
May 18, 2001
While wireless phone jamming is
illegal in the United States, other
countries such as Japan, Korea
and Canada have not ruled out
the use of products that can
block the transmission and
reception of mobile phone and
pager signals in public places.
Image Sensing Systems, Inc.
(ISS) (Nasdaq: ISNS) hopes to
cash in on the desire of
governments and individuals who
want to limit cell phone use.
ISS has released its Mobile
Blocker jamming device that can
block wireless phone and pager
signals within a 40-meter
(135-foot) circle. Using an
encoded signal from a base
transmitter that is emitted at the
same frequency of pager and
cellular communications, the ISS
blocker prevents calls from being
received or initiated and delivers
a text message such as "No
Service" or "Out of Range" to the
devices, the company explained.
Seeking Peace and Quiet
The device is compatible with many cellular networking
systems, the company said, and includes antennas for
multidirectional blockage and an optional remote switch for
immediate on/off control of the transmitter in case of
emergency. It works on all digital and analog phones.
Mobile Blocker was developed at the request of an
international customer, which the company declined to name,
that wanted to block mobile phone and pager use during
religious services, ISS said. "This is a cost-effective solution
to maintain a quiet environment for places of worship,
theaters, restaurants, boardrooms and museums," said Bill
Sowell, vice president of business development at ISS.
Canada Considers Jamming
The legalization of cell phone jamming devices is currently
under evaluation in Canada, Hong Kong and other locations
worldwide, Sowell said, adding that Mobile Blocker is
approved for sale and use in parts of Europe, Scandinavia,
the Middle East and Asia. The sale and operation of the
device is restricted only to countries that permit the
operation of such devices by approved agencies or private
businesses, the company said.
The Canadian government is seeking public input on the
licensing of wireless phone jammers with an eye toward
eliminating the use of cell phones and other mobile devices in
such public places as theaters, restaurants or libraries.
That move prompted a response from the Canadian Wireless
Telecommunications Association, which contended that
phone silencers would jeopardize public safety and infringe on
the rights of Canadian citizens. Presently, only public safety
and law enforcement agencies have licenses for cell phone
silencers in Candada.
The ISS blocker is not commercially available in the United
States, as the U.S. Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) prohibits mobile phone jamming. However, the company
said tribal lands owned and occupied by Native Americans are
considered sovereign terrritory, and the use of blocking
devices on those territories is permitted with proper
authorization.
Based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Image Sensing Systems
produces video imaging technology for traffic management
systems abd wireless transmission products.
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