BT releases encrypted pager for police force

NEWS BT has released a PC-based encrypted paging service for police officers. The Z Page service will be accredited to handle government classified information up to "Restricted" level. Approximately 25,000 pagers are currently in use by the police force. However, it is relatively simple to intercept and alter messages sent on them. The Z Page system will encrypt messages up to 170-characters long using an encryption program approved by the Communications Equipment Security Group at GCHQ. Messages are then sent over a secure network to a pager and accessed through a PIN number.