Slashdot Mirror
O2's UK Network Crash Hits Offender Monitoring System
judgecorp writes "Mobile operator O2's network crashed on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. In the aftermath it has emerged how other services rely on mobile networks. Law enforcement agencies were unable to track some convicted criminals wearing electronic tags, and the crash also disabled parts of London's network of 'Boris Bikes' — public hire bikes."
...I actually had to meet my friends face to face and use full sentences
Convicted Criminals on Boris Bikes . . . unable to be tracked!
We'll see their true intent during the Olympics, when the Crown Jewels or something like that are five-fingered.
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
We also had a crash in France recently (Orange was down for a whole day), and it made little to no difference on anyone's life -- except control freaks who had to know where you were all the time
i bet that's what the monitored criminals were saying!
it has emerged how other services rely on mobile networks
In times when people were able to plan ahead instead of having to confirm each and every date and action (of course by cellphone) immediately before execution one would have said 'gave evidence of how other services rely on mobile networks'.
CC.
TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
If someone needs to have their every movement tracked, they shouldn't be out of prison.
But now we know why these monitoring systems exist in the first place: O2 lobbied the government (and probably gave a nice donation/backhander).
Anyway, if you're relying on a single consumer mobile network for anything life-critical, you're an idiot. If you're going to carry around /one/ communications device for that sort of thing, spend a weekend getting your Foundation level ham licence and buy a general UHF/VHF transceiver. If you really want a complete kit, add a dual-SIM mobile 'phone.
It doesn't help, of course, that the emergency services have switched to yet another waste of hundreds of millions of pounds thanks again to O2: the Tetra network. Not because it would be proper to use their emergency frequencies, but because it is right that public service communications are open, compatible and require no infrastructure. Then everyone can hear everyone else in their allotted spaces.
"Anyway, if you're relying on a single consumer mobile network for anything life-critical, you're an idiot."
Indeed, solar flares usually inflict damage only on corrupt carriers.
Wait 'til the electricity goes down, most people are so idiotic that they use only one provider there too.
Sarcasm is no substitute for a clue.
1) Solar flares are unlikely to cause continual overwhelming wideband interference;
2) Anyway, you can't beat the laws of physics, but you can choose the best available solution. And the best available solution is rarely that provided by leeching government contractors;
3) My portable devices are battery-powered. If you're going anywhere remote, you should at the least carry some backup power (whether that's a second cell, your car battery, or a wind-up/trickle solar charger). And if you need to plug your 'phones/transceivers into the mains power, it's time to upgrade. And if any of your devices have non-removable batteries, you're an idiot.
Obviously a test for when the chavs go rioting, the moon cultists revolt, or there's a bank run or something.
If anyone thinks this was down to technical fault I've got a bridge for sale.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Now we're finally hearing of the important consequences of O2's network being down. I couldn't help but be irritated at how this was being reported in the news. Hysterical accounts of how Joe. Q. Public couldn't use their mobile. One news paper even found it news worthy to report that someone on twitter said they missed a phone call from their daughter! Wow, that really sounds like a living nightmare. Of course, there is also the inevitable talk of compensation... SPOILER: most people use their phones for inconsequential, inane yacking. For most people mobiles are a convenient toy they can live without. I hope it was just the news stirring things up and that we haven't all been reduced to being whiny cry babies. My mobile was affected (GiffGaff) but somehow I managed to deal with it and get on with life.
My sympathy is entirely with the engineers who would have certainly been under immense pressure to get this fixed ASAP, and to also provide a totally useless "ETA to resolution". Urgh, I've been there :(
Why were these 'critical' systems not set to automatically roam to another network if their 'home' network becomes unavailable?
On GSM (2G), emergency calls can be made without a SIM card present in the mobile phone. Any available network can be used as GSM has special support for handling emergency calls. Sometimes your mobile will show "Emergency calls only" because if cannot find your service provider (or roaming partner). The emergency number is 112.
If someone needs to have their every movement tracked, they shouldn't be out of prison.
I agree absolutely, but where this should be used is where it is a punishment and deterrent, not to prevent people who are likely to commit another crime. In this case all they need to do is add an extra day on the end to make up for the one when they were not monitored.
That's the funniest thing I've read all week.
You were doing ok until the non-removable battery bit. Only an idiot needs to swap batteries. Yes, I own a iPhone. Despite being on the phone for up to five hours per day, I have never needed to charge other than at night on my bedside table.
When I lived in a place where power was extremely unreliable, I had an external battery pack in case I spent more time using it for Internet access, or if power was out all night. There are plenty of such gizmos out there that are arguably more reliable and flexible than an extra phone battery.
Did anyone else find it hilarious that they're British and their recommendation to anyone still having problem is basically "Hello, IT. Have you tried turning it off and then back on again?"
"If someone needs to have their every movement tracked, they shouldn't be out of prison."
It's cheaper to have them out then locked up.
My main reason for wanting devices with removable batteries is that these things all have some form of communication ability, and any hacker with the right equipment can turn on a device that's "off". But not if I can pull the battery out! And I want that ability. Also, having a couple extra charged batteries for my phone where no ac is means I don't have to worry about using the thing like I want to.
RBS systems down for over a month. G4S needing the military to provide Oylimpic security coverage. And now O2 entire netowrk goes down for 24 hours.
More and more we are seeing the end results of private sector incompetence. Large companies, run by feckless playboys and professional bullshitters, cutting costs at every turn, slowly crumbling from the inside out.
It's like an accelerated private sector version of the collapse of the Soviet Union, and it is happening across the IT/service economy at an accelerating pace. How long before a major news network, private hospital, transport network, or airline goes belly up entirely and needs the public to step in any bail it out once again?
Forget "Too Big to Fail". It appears these companies are "Too Big to Succeed". I don't see why they should be given special privileges and handouts anymore, or in particular why any significant portion of our societies infrastructure must be placed in their care.
These companies should either be nationalised, or else wound up.
May the Maths Be with you!
Tracking bracelets of grid? I see the opener for the next season of "White Collar".
If they were "Ken Bikes" you wouldn't have to pay!
Curse you, Barclays!
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
Oops... mistkanely moderated as flame bait. This post is to remove that.
Well before /. it is black boxes being installed on lines and emergency secret powers exercised by the UK gov under anti terrorism legislation so phone calls can be monitored to prevent terrorism at the Olympics. British Telecom owns the lines and the government controls communication devices.
Please do not be fooled because this is being done underhandedly to spy on P2P traffic so under emergency anti-terrorism powers this is where we have ended up despite legal wranglings. The law states, that the British Government can do anything they like if on the qualifying legal basis "If is deemed (Within the Public's best Interests)".
In layman terms legally the government can do anything they like and decide your future as long as it is "" (within your best interests).
That is why people protest. I am sure another slashdot reader or journalist can give extra credit to this by adding citations as truly I do not have the time!
Yours as always,
NSN
All cows eat grass!
There's got to be an exploit in there somewhere!
A blog I run for the wealth
I agree, but the solution of
"These companies should either be nationalised, or else wound up."
Seems to be working within a dualistic communism vs capitalism way of looking at life.
How's about using the market to get results and then if that's not possible (but I think there always is, just need to work hard at finding a way to allow competition within a big system), then fall back to the state systems
(that are inefficient because they don't have evolution-like free market economics oiling the wheels)
A blog I run for the wealth