> 2. E2E crypto on mobiles would require cross-vendor support, which would mean > that it > would have to go into the standard. Unfortunately, standards in the mobile > world are > heavily influenced by governmnets, and the four horsemen of the apocalypse > (drug > dealers, paedophiles, spies, and terrorists) are still being used by > government types > to nix any attempts at crypto they can't break or intercept.
Handset suppliers are traditionally uncomfortable with licensing fees for non-core function. This is why, for example, memory card support has been needed for so long, but is a relatively recent phenomenon. The suppliers didn't want to pay licensing fees to the card standards bodies, despite the massively increased data storage needs which were coincident with the addition of camera functionality to phones. Crypto has been an IP minefield for some years. With the expiry of certain patents, and the availability of other unencumbered crypto primitives (eg. AES), we may see this change. But John's other points are well made, and still valid. Downloadable MP3 ring tones are a selling point. E2E security isn't (although I've got to wonder about certain teenage demographics... :) And don't forget, some of the biggest markets are still crypto-phobic. Every time I enter China I have to tick a box on the entry form indicating that I am not carrying any "communications security equipment". When my GSM mobile roams onto China Telecom, the "unlocked paddlock" logo appears denoting that even A5/2 isn't allowed. Yet China has mandated full cellphone coverage, even in rural areas, and for companies like Motorola and Nokia, it's a must-own marketplace. Features which may worry the often inconsistent and capricious State Encryption Management Committee (SEMC), who can block the entry of your product into China, is going to be pruned from the product list pretty damn quickly. Ian. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cryptography Mailing List Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]