Illegal operators try to avoid detection of their activities, location and communications. There are no GSM networks at sea, so Sat Phones are widely used for maritime communications.

Sat Phone intercept technology has been highly successful in helping eliminate piracy in Somalia, where pirate skiffs were difficult to detect by radar, so government agencies turned to Sat Phone interception to accurately geolocate pirate vessel positions and then alert patrolling forces.

Sat Phone Intercept is a technology commonly used by Intelligence agencies, however Inter-agency cooperation means that suspect vessel locations and other information can be shared with other government agencies on joint operations, particularly involving illegal fishing, drug smuggling, search and rescue and terror threats.

Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems on drones, aircraft and patrol vessels commonly use Sat Phone Intercept to provide the location of ‘dark’ vessels that use satellite phones, but do not transmit AIS and can then point EO cameras to confirm their identification. The position and camera data can be integrated into the Command and Control centre “common operating picture” to help coordinate further investigation or intercept the vessel if deemed to be a suspect vessel.