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Published on March 27, 2008

It all started when two security technology experts at the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (Nectec) read a newspaper report about a motorcycle bomb strike in the southern part of Thailand three years ago.

"Since the detonation was controlled through a cellphone, we thought, we could develop technology to block the cell signal to prevent the detonation," Komain Pibulyarojana, the director of Security Technology Program at Nectec, said.

Komain worked with Siwaruk Siwamogsatham, the head of National Security Technology and Innovation Laboratory, to develop the cellular jammer and tagged it the T-box. With its potential to save lives, the project received an honourable mention in IT Princess Awards 2007 held last week.

Though the T-box has been built on the simple concept of interfering with the cellular phone signal, a common way for terrorists to detonate a bomb, the development of the jammer was far from easy and the team spent almost a year on it.

They did everything themselves, starting with designing every circuit used inside the box, searching for suitable materials, assembling and sealing the box.

The box, Komain said, comprises key integrated circuits which generate a signal, interfere with the incoming one and amplify the signal.

Once the box is switched on, it sends a signal to jam the incoming cellular signal, preventing anyone from making mobile-phone communication within a 100-metre radius.

The team worked with the Defence Science and Technology Office to understand the requirements for the T-box as well as to test the equipment. The first T-box was used to tackle the South's terrorism problem in late 2005 and about 50 T-boxes have been built for the Defence Ministry.

Komain said the box has been designed to jam four cellular frequencies: 800, 900, 1,800 and 1,900 megahertz.

Since the box was meant for a critical national security application, the team conducted several tests along with the Defence Ministry to make sure that the box conformed to the military's standard.

Earlier, the ministry had imported cellular jamming equipment from abroad at a cost of Bt1 million to Bt2 million each.

Consequent to the indigenous development, Komain said the ministry has to spend only Bt100,000 per jammer. Additionally, any problems with the equipment can be fixed by the local team at once.

Compared to imported jammers, the Thai-made jammer offers a coverage area of about 100m - wider than other products which offer coverage of only an 80 to 90m radius. Since it has been developed locally, the box was designed with durability, better shock resistance and the environment in mind.

According to a military report, the boxes are used for bomb recovery missions especially in the South at least once a week.

Komain said all the 50 boxes saw use about 2,500 times a year. This has made military officials feel safer during the risky mission of recovering live, and sometimes sophisticated bombs. The people in the area also feel much safer.

After having used the jammer to help prevent fatalities for many years, the government late last year approved a Bt42-million budget to develop another 88 T-boxes for military use, Komain said. Nectec will oversee the development and plans to deliver all units to the military in the next few months.

Pongpen Sutharoj

The Nation