NSA certifies Scetera Edge smart phone

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 18 (UPI) -- General Dynamics says it has won U.S. National Security Agency certification for its new smart phone.

"The National Security Agency -- NSA -- has certified the wireless Sectera Edge smart-phone, a product of General Dynamics C4 Systems, for voice communications classified up to the Top Secret level and access to email and web-sites classified at the Secret level and below," the company said in a statement earlier this month.

"General Dynamics C4 Systems is a business unit of General Dynamics," it said.

"For the first time, authorized military and government personnel can now wirelessly access both classified and unclassified voice and data communications on the same device," said John Cole, vice president of Information Assurance at General Dynamics C4 Systems. "The Sectera Edge is an all-in-one communications solution allowing users to easily switch between classified and unclassified information by pressing a single key."

"Similar in form and function to a commercial cell phone/personal digital assistant -- PDA -- the Sectera Edge is capable of synchronizing information with a user's computer, enabling access to calendar, address book, calculator, notepad and other PDA capabilities. The smart-phone operates on existing Global System for Mobile communications -- GSM -- and Code Division Multiple Access -- CDMA -- commercial cellular networks. Planned enhancements will provide interoperability with wireless fidelity -- WiFi -- local area networks," General Dynamics said.

"The smart-phone interfaces with the U.S. Department of Defense Public Key Infrastructure using the government's standard Common Access Card. Information stored in the Sectera Edge is protected using data-at-rest encryption," the company said.

"Developed under the NSA Secure Mobile Environment/Portable Electronic Device -- SME PED -- program, the Sectera Edge smartphone is compliant with the Secure Communication Interoperability Protocol -- SCIP -- enabling secure interoperability with SCIP devices including the Secure Telephone Equipment -- STE -- and existing Sectera phones and terminals. The smart-phone is also compliant with the High Assurance Internet Protocol Encryptor Interoperability Specification -- HAIPE IS -- for secure interoperability with in-line encryption devices, including TACLANE encryptors, that secure information on the U.S. Government's Secret Internet Protocol Router Network -- SIPRNet," General Dynamics said.