Analysts predict spike in Iraqi satellite phone use

If landline and mobile phone networks in Iraq get wrecked in a U.S. attack, expect a spike in satellite phone usage. But with U.S. signal interceptors targeting satphone transmissions to locate Iraqi military commanders, analysts worry phone calls from civilians could appear as beacons for bombers. The U.S. military won’t discuss how precisely it can track people based on their satphone signals, and the satellite phone companies say they don’t know. But military and intelligence experts say U.S. targeting technology is not just possible, it’s getting better. “Any satellite telephone is an emitter,” said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst with the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Va. “By detecting the emissions, it should be possible for U.S. intelligence to localize desirable targets.” But distinguishing friend from foe based on a signal alone could prove difficult, he said. “It’s just yet another thing journalists now have to take into account,” said Kate Adie, a British Broadcasting Corp. radio journalist. Full Story