Re: Do these cellular amplifiers work for all cellphones?

On Sat 09/04/2022 17:08, David Woolley wrote:
> On 09/04/2022 16:16, gtr wrote:
>> Why would it be illegal to listen to ANY signal that is over the air?
> 
> In this case, it is because they retransmit the signal in the vehicle.
> 
> However there is an also expectation of privacy.  The default UK 
> position is that you need a licence to receive radio transmissions, 
> although there are some exemptions.
> 
> Even the US makes it illegal to listen on cellular frequencies, even 
> though other frequencies, including the police, were open.
> 
> I don't think either country has changed its legislation to reflect that 
> cellular systems are now encrypted.

The default UK ruling is that you can only (in theory at least) listen 
to transmissions intended for public entertainment, information, or 
education. How anyone could be traced and/or prosecuted for listening to 
anything in open speech on any waveband just shows how little the 
establishment understands! Listening to civil aircraft is illegal but 
look see how many people you see standing around the perimeter fence at 
most major airports with scanners stuck on their ears! Radio amateur 
licences gave a much wider brief - they could legally listen to maritime 
transmissions for instance which is why in the UK it was necessary to 
take a 12wpm morse test so that you could identify marine distress 
calls. OfCom recognised some years ago that maritime comms is now 
largely VHF for short range and satellite for longer distance so did 
away with the morse test requirement: Japan retained the morse test for 
a long time but set the speed at 0 wpm.

Always puzzled me why the US barred scanners from listening to cellular 
channels but would let you listen to police. The latter have now gone 
largely digital (mostly DMR) but with a suitable radio you can still 
listen to them even from the UK! Barmy IMO.

For the record digital cellular has had over-the-air encryption from day 
one. Orange wanted a much greater level of encryption but OfCom (as 
instructed by GCHQ) would not allow it as it meant GCHQ would not be 
able to listen in - which was why Orange was so late to market.
Curiously GSM cellular was only encrypted over the air but was decoded 
to a standard phone system data stream at the base station and passed 
over the carrier network unencrypted. Airwave (the emergency services 
radio system) on the other hand is end-to-end encrypted.