Secure Terminal Equipment

STE desk set. Note slot in front for Crypto PC Card.

Secure Terminal Equipment (STE) is the U.S. government's current and encrypted telephone communications system for wired communications (as of 2008).

It is designed to use ISDN telephone lines. It offers higher speeds of up to 128 Kbit/s. The greater bandwidth allows higher quality voice. They also can also be used for data and fax transmission through a built-in RS-232 port.

STE is intended to replace the older STU-III office system and the KY-68 tactical system.[1][2]

Models

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  • Office: The Office STE (most widely used STE) provides voice and data access to ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) and PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) telecommunications systems.
  • Tactical: The Tactical STE is similar to the Office STE but can also access the TRI-TAC (TRI Service TACtical) network. It has a serial EIA-530A/EIA-232 BDI (Black Digital Interface) port.
  • Data: The Data STE provides remote access for voice, fax, data and video-conferencing. This model has two serial EIA-530A/EIA-232 BDI ports. It also allows for data transfers to multiple destinations.
  • C2: The C2 STE is similar to the Tactical STE but C2 has modified software for use with its Tactical Terminal Locking Handset mechanism.
  • STE-R: Similar to the Data STE, the STE-Remote provides dial-in access to the Defense Red Switch Network (DRSN).
  • VoIP: The STE now has Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) capability, available as an upgrade to the current models, or built into some new models.

Sources

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  1. ↑ "Secure Telephone Unit Third Generation (STU-III) / Secure Terminal Equipment (STE)". Federation of American Scientists. Archived from the original on December 9, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
  2. ↑ "STE: Secure Terminal Equipment: Direct Sale Pricing". Archived from the original on 2006-10-15.

Other websites

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