23. Mobile Systems and Corresponding Intractable Security Issues

A mobile communication systems consists of two or more of the following devices, running specifically developed software to sustain, for a period of time, a wireless communication link between them: mobile telephone, broadly construed here to include devices based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and Wireless Personal Digital Assistants (WPDA) digital technologies and follow-ons, as well as satellite telephones and email appliances. Mobile communication systems are revolutionizing the world today, shrinking the world to between two or more small handheld mobile devices. The rapid changes in communication technologies, revolutionary changes in software and the growth of large powerful communication network technologies all have eased communication and brought it to large swaths of the globe. The high-end competition between the mobile telecommunication operators, resulting in plummeting device prices, the quickly developing smartphone technology, and the growing number of undersea cables and cheaper satellite technologies are bringing Internet access to almost every one of the global rural poor faster than many had anticipated. In this chapter, we put together all these communication devices and the protocols and associated technologies to create a vibrant new environment with a focus on security in this environment.