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High Powered Cordless Phones in the Af/Pak Border Area: Is UBL Talking?

SUMMARY

High Powered Cordless Phone networks include a base station and any number of phones, which operate similar to cellphones. The article author suspects Osama bin Laden might use one. HPCP networks are mapped in HOMEBASE.

DOCUMENT’S DATE

Sep 15, 2003

PUBLICLY AVAILABLE

Feb 05, 2018

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Page 1 from High Powered Cordless Phones in the Af/Pak Border Area: Is UBL Talking?
DYNAMIC PAGE -- HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS TOP SECRET // SI / TK // REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL (S//SI) High Powered Cordless Phones in the Af/Pak Border Area: Is UBL Talking? FROM: CT SIGDEV Run Date: 09/15/2003 (C//SI) Do you ever feel like maybe you are missing some of your target's communications? Do your targets operate in remote areas? Are your targets involved in illicit activities? If so, then your targets might be using High Powered Cordless Phones (HPCP). HPCP networks are made up of a base station and a given number of handsets, and can be found anywhere. They are particularly common in rural areas with no infrastructure, and can be used as a standalone network (sometimes called a "poor man's cell phone") or can be connected to any number of devices that allow users to place international calls that would not be possible otherwise. HPCP devices operate much like your cordless phone at home, with one major difference: imagine getting in your car and using your cordless phone 50 miles away from your house! (S//SI) The Afghanistan/Pakistan border region is the suspected location of Usama bin Laden and his associates, but we think that we are missing some of their communications. The Counterterrorism Product Line (CT) is currently developing HPCP networks operating in the Afghanistan/Pakistan border areas in hopes of filling this intelligence gap. Thousands of networks are operating along the Af/Pak border region, particularly in regions of known terrorist activity such as the tribal areas of Pakistan. These networks are being documented in an Agency-wide database so that analysts across the enterprise can share their findings. (C//SI) Offices across the Agency as well as 2nd Party Partners and field elements are all contributing to the HPCP effort. HPCP metadata for a number of countries is currently available via the HOMEBASE data mart. Your targets might already be there! (S//SI) If you would like to learn more, the HPCP Analysis Center (HAC) is sponsoring a conference from 27-31 October 2003 . (Note from SIGINT Communications: see the related article in today's SIDtoday for further details.) For further information on CT's development of HPCP, please check out our website . "(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet without the consent of S0121 (DL sid comms)." DYNAMIC PAGE -- HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS TOP SECRET // SI / TK // REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108