“Merkel phone” security firm teams up with Vodafone on new Secure Call app

The company that handles the security of the so-called “Merkel phone” -- the customized BlackBerry that the German chancellor and other members of her administration have recently started using -- is now making a push to offer secure services to normal companies.

At the Cebit tech show in Hanover, Germany, Secusmart announced a deal with mobile carrier Vodafone to offer an app called Secure Call, which supposedly does what it says on the tin. In the words of Vodafone Deutschland CEO Jens Schulte-Bockum, “Secure Call is an effective weapon against phone tapping for people who want to protect their intellectual property.”

Additionally, Secusmart said it would try selling the Merkel phone more widely. The Merkel phone costs €2,000 ($2,800). Secure Call will reportedly cost around €10 per user per month, and it will support more platforms -- Android first, then iOS and Windows Phone. It will initially only be available in Germany. Meanwhile Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone’s biggest rival in Germany, is also expected to unveil an app for secure voice and SMS communications at Cebit. KPN, the Dutch telecommunications company that runs the E-Plus and Base brands in Germany, is also targeting the privacy-conscious by reselling Silent Circle’s secure communications services.

[March 10]