Nokia Launches Phone-Based VPN

March 18, 2002 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- As part of its efforts to address the growing security requirements of mobile devices, Nokia (nokia.com) announced last week, at the CeBit show in Hanover, Germany, that the latest update of its Communicator smartphone would include a virtual private network client.

The Nokia 9210i Communicator includes a number of communication applications not included in previous models, including support for JavaScript, cascading style sheets, Macromedia Flash 5, the RealOne streaming media player and the VPN client.

The company calls the 9210i an ideal solution for corporate users, for whom secure mobile communications are a priority. The Nokia IPSec VPN client, says the company, allows mobile users to correct directly and securely to the corporate Intranet, encrypting all data transferred to and from the Communicator.

"The Communicator has justified its position as the heavy-class business tool of choice among corporate users across our markets in Europe and Asia," said Janne Jormalainen, vice president, product marketing for Nokia Mobile Phones. "With the introduction of this upgraded version of the Nokia 9210 Communicator, our customers will benefit from several new functionalities desired from a leading-edge business product."

Even though mobile phones are on a circuit-switched network, as the data travels across the Internet, it is vulnerable to attack, says Nokia. And as phones like the 9210i become more complex and capable, users are able to access more sensitive corporate information through them in applications such as Lotus Notes, making that vulnerability more of a concern.

Nokia says the VPN client should make the 9210i one of the first handheld devices to allow end-to-end encrypted links. While VPN clients are available for Palm, says the company, those devices don't support the 3DES encryption protocol. The Nokia VPN client will support both 3DES and Nokia's own Challenge Response Authentication Cryptographic Key (Crack) encryption, which is currently before the IETF standards body.

Other security enhancements for the Nokia 9210i Communicator include a memory card lock, designed to prevent unauthorized access to the memory card.

The Nokia VPN client, says the company, will be available as an additional software for pilot VPN deployments during the second quarter of 2002.