By Skandha Gunasekara and Lankesh Gooneratne
Satellite communication is a method of communicating around the globe via a satellite. A satellite sent to space for the purpose of telecommunication, receives and retransmits the signals sent from a satellite phone, back to Earth. The ground area that receives the retransmission is called a satellite footprint.
In Sri Lanka, for an individual to own and use a mobile satellite phone, requires a licence. Therefore, although it is legal to use and operate a satellite phone, mobile or otherwise, the device must first be registered with the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL).
Hence, when government defector, Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, declared that their breakaway faction coordinated through satellite mobile phones, the question arose how they avoided the detection of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB).
Even when a satellite telephone is either imported or illegally brought here from a foreign country, it is required to be registered at the TRCSL for it to be legally used in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, satellite telephones should contain strong radio energy to reach satellite receivers. When operating a satellite phone there should be a clear sky to take or receive calls, messages or data. A call cannot be made via a satellite telephone while inside a building or a car. If there are any barriers, the connection will be unclear or signals will not be efficient.
Telecommunication satellites can be categorized into two types; one is ‘Geosynchronous orbits’, in which the satellite is at a distance of 35,000 km from Earth in space. The speed of the orbit depends on the Earth’s rotation, so it appears to be in the same spot in space. Likewise, the second type of satellites is ‘low earth orbit (LEO)’. This type of satellites has a shorter distance of 800 km from the Earth. A LEO satellite can be seen moving across the globe, as the distance between the Earth and the satellite in space is much shorter. The local service providers do not provide this service, and the TRCSL only provides the registration facilities for legal purposes. According to internal sources from the TRCSL, certain government institutions, such as the Department of Meteorology are using satellite telephones for various purposes, such as when the standard mobile phone services are busy, or when adverse weather conditions hinder communication services.
Location traceable
On the other hand, the location of a satellite telephone can be identified with a 5-20 metre accuracy. If a satellite telephone were to call another phone, it will transmit the last location where the satellite telephone was used. Therefore, satellite telephone too, much like any other mobile phone, can be traced and tracked.
A satellite telephone is far more costly than an ordinary mobile phone, and symptomatically a call made from a satellite telephone costs more than a call made from an ordinary mobile phone. As a result of the high expenditure in using a satellite phone, the average person would not opt to buy such a device for communication purposes.
According to an expert from a prominent telecommunication service provider, who wished to remain anonymous, one of the main reasons it is problematic to trace phone calls made via satellite mobile phones is, because no local provider is used and the initial call is bounced off a satellite then the signal must go through an Earth-based ‘gateway’ before reaching the intended recipient.
For an example, if person X was to call person Y through a satellite mobile phone, X’s phone call would first reach a satellite, then the call would be diverted to an Earth-based international gateway, perhaps in another country, before it is directed to the mobile phone of person Y.
Nevertheless, intercepting a satellite phone call is not impossible, if the right technology is used. Satellite communications may be intercepted via their radio transmissions, or on the ground, where communications pass through Earth-based gateways. Once a communication passes to Earth-based networks, it can be intercepted by the weakest link in those systems. The encryption that satellite telephones use is ineffective, and equipment that allows for the interception of voice, SMS and Internet data, as well as pinpointing the location of the handset can be purchased.
Plot against Premadasa
When Ranasinghe Premadasa was the President of Sri Lanka, Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake communicated clandestinely with each other via mobile phones to plot against Premadasa. At the time mobile phones was considered the latest technology in communication.
J.R. Jayewardene’s Secretary, Manikdiwela’s son was the first person to use a mobile phone in Sri Lanka. Dissanayake, who had a good relationship with Manikdiwela’s son, learnt of the usefulness of this technology and obtained mobile phones in order to communicate with Athulathmudali in secret. As it was a new technological item, local authorities did not have the necessary technology to trace mobile phone calls and as a result President Premadasa did not know of the plot that was being hatched between Dissanayake and Athulathmudali. Premadasa learnt of the plot only after his impeachment.
Maithripala Sirisena, who is the common candidate contesting against President Mahinda Rajapaksa seems to have used the same idea as Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake, but instead of mobile phones, which are simple to track with modern technology, Sirisena and Senartne had used satellite telephones, which are much harder to trace and intercept, especially, if the required technology was not available for the relevant authorities to use.
The two were able to avoid detection by the NIB and the other surveillance and intelligence services, who were looking out for such a plot by the Opposition.
Therefore, majority of the members of the Sri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP) did not know that Sirisena was to defect from the government, along with several other prominent government ministers, to be appointed as the common candidate to contest against President Rajapaksa at the upcoming presidential election.
Courtesy:Ceylon Today