New monitoring equipment in telephone exchanges

Hi all,

This is my first post. I was just reading a thread about Bin Laden and the NSA monitoring communications and it reminded me of something. A few weeks ago, I was having a chat with my dad and his friend. Both of them have worked for BT (British Telecom) for over 30 years. They were talking about strange new equipment and people in telephone exchanges.

They said that recently in one of the larger telephone exhanges in the city where I live, a section of one of the rooms has been completely bricked off and appears as if someone has tried to hide it by painting it to match the rest of the wall. There is no door or anyway of getting into the newly bricked off area but there are cables going into it.

They also talked about some people which are not BT staff and don't look or act like normal contractors. They come and install new equipment and leave and without speaking to anyone.

Neither my dad or his friend are into conspiracies/alternative news but they said that all of this is most definately monitoring equipment and has been going on for YEARS. But recently, incidents like these have been a lot more common.

I hope someone finds this information useful.

Hiya mate, i'm not doubting your story but why would someone install equiptment into a building then brick it up? Doesent make sense as it could need maintenance. Is there another enterance to that area?

I totally believe we are monitored and this is how it prob would happen, i read about ten years ago an interview with an ex GCHQ employee that all calls go through key word recognition software so it doesent suprise me that what you said is happening.

Internet monitoring equiptment maybe?

Star & flagged - first post & all

[edit on 5/2/09 by cropmuncher]

Get pictures, but don't lose job or anything, but pics and more info would be awesome. Brand of equipment? Did your dad talk to any of these guys?

Thanks for my first star cropmuncher. They were saying how strange it was and that they had a look all around and could find no way in apart from where the cables went in. I guess the wall could be there to stop people tampering because security is very low. I remember when I went there for a week for work experience, there was just one security guard on the entrance who didn't check passes or anything. They didnt talk to these people as they said that they kept to themselves.

Here is an interesting article from about a year ago.

www.walesonline.co.uk...

Big future forecast for ‘asset monitoring’ system

A SOPHISTICATED “asset monitoring” technique developed by BT researchers in Wales is expected to evolve into a multi-billion-pounds industry.
From next month, the telecoms giant will start rolling out a number of business packages that will enable customers to access the new technology.
Using a combination of fibre optic sensing, wi-fi, video image recognition, mobile and satellite positioning and radio frequency identification tagging techniques make it possible for constant tracking of many different things, including trains, track or roadside equipment, station platforms and road vehicles.

If they can develop that technology, no doubt they can use most of this technology which is already set up to monitor phone calls. They seem to have some snazzy stuff, British Telecom. Maybe it's actually about this, the "hidden room." It very well may have to do with monitoring public transportation, or possibly the phone calls. Either way, it would require a fairly important control room with lots of expensive equipment. I can understand why they would want to keep it safe. And it seems like BT isn't doing too well ... some good information about that on this search. But it also seems like BT is possibly going to get more international business by the quick search that I did.