CellCrypt adds voice call security to BlackBerry

BlackBerry users can now make secure calls via CellCrypt

CellCrypt has extended its encryption technology to enable BlackBerry users to make secure calls from their handsets.

Available immediately, the CellCrypt Mobile client for BlackBerry employs end-to-end encryption to guard against conversations being intercepted. It was unveiled today at the Wireless Enterprise Symposium held in Florida by BlackBerry maker RIM.

CellCrypt already supports Windows Mobile and Nokia smartphones, but adding BlackBerry support is a significant move, according to chief executive Simon Bransfield-Garth.

"The sort of people likely to have conversations that should be encrypted matches well with those likely to be using a BlackBerry," he said.

While the threat of having phone calls intercepted may seem small, the risk of sensitive conversations being compromised may justify deploying solutions such as CellCrypt to key people within an organisation.

"Typically, companies will roll this out to just a small number of employees, " said Bransfield-Garth.

CellCrypt is already working with governments around the world, and counts a number of financial organisations among its customers, he added.

The CellCrypt application uses 2,048-bit RSA and 256-bit AES algorithms to encode voice traffic over GSM, 3G and Wi-Fi network connections.

Cellcrypt's selling point is that customers do not need extra infrastructure or new handsets, as it enables them to secure the device they are already using, according to Bransfield-Garth.

No public key infrastructure is necessary, as each phone has its own unique key and creates a one-time session key when negotiating a connection with another CellCrypt client.

While CellCrypt Mobile integrates with the standard address book on the handset, it will only make secure calls to other Cellcrypt users.

Initially, CellCrypt is targeting newer RIM models such as the BlackBerry Bold, but Bransfield-Garth said that all mainstream handsets are likely to be supported.

Licence costs for CellCrypt Mobile vary according to volume. Small scale deployments will cost in the region of £1,000 per user per year, with discounts for larger volumes.