Boeing Black Secure Smartphone Hits FCC - Aims At Secure Communications

Boeing is a name that is synonymous with aircraft. We talked about Boeing when the 787-9 Dreamliner completed its maiden voyage in 2013. While most of Boeing is focused on making aircraft for the military and civilian markets, the company is working on other products. One of those projects has been tipped by the FCC and it is a smartphone.

The device is called the Boeing Black and it is unlikely to be a product aimed at consumers. Boeing's Black device is a secure smartphone that is aimed at allowing the company to securely communicate with its contractors. With the number of projects that Boeing is working on in the military and commercial markets, it is a ripe target for espionage.

Boeing had confirmed last year that it was working on a secure Android device; the OS for the Black is unannounced. The FCC filing offers a little detail. The phone will have dual SIM support and will work on GSM, WCDMA, and LTE networks using a microSIM card. Considering how worried the US is about spying from foreign companies that product telecom gear, there is a chance that the Boeing Black could become a solution for the US government as well, but that is speculation at this point.

Huawei pulled out of the US market and noted that it would take a decade to convince the US government that its products were safe. The US fears that the Chinese made devices are conduits for espionage by the Chinese government. Boeing notes in the filing for the Black smartphone that it will be sold primarily to government agencies and firms in contract with those agencies. It's unclear what sort of hardware is inside the smartphone at this time.

SOURCE: Myce