Difficulties in Achieving Security in Mobile Comminocations

This work investigates specific challenges in implementing secure mobile digital communications. The objective was to look at some aspects of the problem which may contribute to an exchange of new ideas. Use of an asymmetric key protocol relationship for key management and subscriber authentication, in combination with a chosen symmetric algorithm to protect mobile sessions, is suggested. Dependence on the security of the chip card (smartcard, Integrated Circuit (IC) card), for the mobile unit, is addressed. Consideration of the emerging security protocols and key management methods for open networks (Internet) is included. Ideas are presented generically for a mobile digital system and some comments on the existing Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) security implementation are included.