Cell phone silencers coming soon to Canada, government could be big buyer

A U.S.-based company with R&D facilities in Stittsville ON has developed a cell phone silencer that it says can be distributed in Canada and the United States without contravening laws that ban the sale of such devices. David Desrosier, founder and CEO of Osterville MA-based Cell Block Technologies Ltd, says the Canadian government could be its first customer for devices that appear to fall outside the current prohibition. That’s because the devices mute the ring on cellular telephones, rather than block the radio signal. Similar in size to a smoke detector, the device silences the ringer on the cell phone and routes all incoming calls directly to the phone’s voice messaging service. Hard-wired into the in-building wiring, the units have a radius of about six feet and a total coverage of around 10 sq-m. Desrosier, a former Digital Equipment Corp manager, told Report on Wireless that he hopes to have product on the market and revenue by the end of this calendar year. U.S. law prohibits the sale of devices that interfere with licensed radio communication. The U.S. interprets "interfering" to mean jamming and Desrosier says since his company’s devices don’t jam signals, an argument can be made for their sale. "It’s based on the fact that if you are in your home watching TV, you don’t want to lose your TV broadcast because the person next door is on the CB radio. That’s the intent." The wording of the law in Canada is slightly different. It prohibits devices that "interfere" or "obstruct", and "without lawful excuse". While Cell Block’s technology does obstruct the normal transmission of radio signals, Desrosier maintains that its customers have the legal right to use such devices. "Our argument to the Radio Advisory Board of Canada and to Industry Canada is that (the law) should then go on to say, under these conditions the proprietor of this enclosed space has lawful excuse," he explains. "You don’t have to change the laws, you just have to clarify it," he adds. "As long as (the user) keeps it inside his own space, (the user) should have the right to do it." Desrosier concedes that if such devices were portable, the potential for abuse would be high. But he explains that his company’s devices were designed to operate exclusively in a fixed location. To function, they must be wired directly into an AC current. Market research shows restaurants an unlikely customer Originally, it was believed that restaurants would serve as a good starting point for these types of devices and systems. But extensive market research revealed that only about 2,000 restaurants would be willing to purchase such technology. Even with a 50 per cent marketshare, that wasn’t a lot of business, explains Desrosier. Rather, Cell Block is setting its sights on the security and privacy market. Desrosier says the biggest opportunity rests with government, where sensitive information could be leaked, intentionally or not, via a cell phone. "(Government officials) said we have these buildings with class 5 material, called secure buildings, and they aren’t trusted anymore because (people) bring in cell phones," he explains. "People can sit in meetings where there’s classified information being discussed and either intentionally or unintentionally broadcast everything that’s going on in the meeting and we wouldn’t know anything about it." Earlier this month, Desrosier pitched the company’s technology and plan to the RABC and members of the Canadian wireless industry. He described his technology as a safe and workable alternative to legislating against cell phone jammers. "My argument to them, essentially, was if you don’t self-regulate, the abuse is going to cause government to regulate you and we think we offer a way for you to self-regulate." A public education campaign focused on cell phone etiquette isn’t the answer, he says, because no matter how effective, there will always be abuse. Desrosier likens the current problem to that of smoking several years ago. Knowing the health risks associated with smoking and second-hand smoke didn’t entice everyone to quit. "It was a problem and the government stepped in and legislated," he reiterates. Solid advisors and business plan bode well for company Formed less than a year ago by Desrosier and Kris Hatashita, the company’s Canadian operation, Cell Block Canada Ltd, will essentially operate as an R&D centre, but with a profit/loss statement. The bulk of incoming revenue will be under contract to the parent company, although it will also provide outside services. Former Canadian government employee Major General Alan Pickering will head up the Canadian operations as managing director. His contacts in government are expected to be an asset in selling the systems to federal departments. Former Cognos USA chief, Mary Makela, will lead day-to-day operations south of the border.

Cell phone silencers coming soon to Canada, government could be big buyer

News | April 30, 2001

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