Comelec eyeing several options to resist signal jammers

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is currently considering several options to prevent electronic devices from delaying – however temporarily – transmission of results from automated poll machines. Among the options being eyed is a portable monitoring receiver that emits a distinct sound whenever it detects a signal jammer.

Sold by Germany-based electronic testing company Rohde and Schwarz International, the one-foot-long device can run for four hours and costs an estimated P5 million, depending on its features. But these devices are nothing new since some of them are currently being used by the Philippine military and a number of telecommunications companies, Comelec IT consultant Renato Garcia told reporters. Garcia said the Commission is looking into the possibility of leasing some of the equipment or even borrowing them from parties willing to lend them. "We are looking at all the different options available because these are already present in the country," he said. The Comelec has yet to discuss whether it will purchase these devices since these are excluded from the P7.2-billion contract it has with poll machine supplier Smartmatic-TIM, Garcia added. “We'll have to look into that," he said. At the same time, Garcia warned those attempting to use jammers to sabotage the May elections. "They'll have to be on the lookout if they try to use this device, to stop elections, that can be considered an election offense," he said. The talk about jammers began after the poll body received reports saying that 5,000 signal jammers which might be used to sabotage the 2010 polls recently entered the country. A signal jammer is a device used to disrupt radio signals between cellular towers and mobile phones, preventing data transmission. If placed near a handset, it can prevent the phone from getting a signal. If directed at a local cellular antenna tower, it can stop the tower from receiving transmissions from mobile phones covering a geographical region. Law enforcers use jammers to prevent terrorist attacks by jamming radio equipment used as triggers for improvised explosive devices. They are also used by theaters to prevent mobile calls from disrupting the shows. Civilians in the US and Europe are barred from selling and buying signal jammers. Earlier, the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines have already incurred difficulties transmitting needed data even without the signal jammers. The poll body, however, said that they can always use satellite transmission or Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) for areas which have no available cellular signal. It earlier said that they have 5,000 BGANs at hand, with more on the way. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan/RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV