WASHINGTON-Nortel Networks last week confirmed it signed a letter of intent with the
Department of Justice to develop a Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act-compliant
solution.
Attorney General Janet Reno told a congressional appropriations panel March 11 the Justice Department
had signed a letter of intent with a telecommunications manufacturer to buy software and give it to carriers to
implement CALEA.
Despite DOJ’s unwillingness to confirm the manufacturer because of a confidentiality
agreement, Nortel has said it is the manufacturer.
“Nortel Networks is the manufacturer to which Attorney
General Reno referred to in her Capitol Hill testimony last Thursday [March 11] on the proposed mechanism for
CALEA implementation,” said a Nortel spokesman last week.
Neither the company nor DOJ would discuss
the negotiations leading up to the letter of intent or the exact details. Reno said on March 11, “We have signed a
letter of intent and are close to an initial deal with a major manufacturer on a proposal that could provide [DOJ] a ‘right
to use’ license for CALEA-compliant solutions on all of the manufacturer’s platforms. [DOJ] would provide that
software to carriers at no charge.”
The agreement is expected to be completed in 60 days.
