Tom Marks wrote in a message to All:
 TM> HOw does this work?  I was reading about it in the new episode of
 TM> Time Digital and they were talking about a # that is stored in the
 TM> service providers data base but is never broadcast over the
 TM> airwaves?  How do they check it then?  I mean if it's never
 TM> broadcast it can't be checked rigth?  A quote from the mag:  "It
 TM> would take a $500,000 comuber 100 billion yeras to try out every #
 TM> combination at a rate of 1000 #'s per second."  Hmm, sounds kinda
That's not the way I heard it. Every radio transmitter is unique in the way 
it keys up, comes up to power and stabilizes on frequency. This is like a 
fingerprint. No two transmitters are exactly the same. Authentication is a 
record of your cell phone's signature. Every time you make a call (perhaps 
every time you turn it on?) the cellular carrier compares the signature your 
phone has with the database signature. If they match, fine. If not, your call 
will not go through. Presumably, if you have repairs done to your phone that 
change this fingerprint, your carrier will have to establish a new database 
enty for your phone.
Is this correct anyone?
Regards,
Dave
E-mail: davenemeth@pipeline.com 
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