From Chinese espionage to celebrity mobile carriers, today's telecom headlines all point to the same issue: commercial cellular infrastructure wasn't built for security. Cape breaks down what’s happening—and why fixing the network itself is the only real solution.
Cape CEO John Doyle makes the case for redesigning telecom infrastructure in a new op-ed for The Hill, connecting SignalGate, Ukraine’s drone comms, and global security risks to one underlying issue: the commercial cellular network is broken.
"We cannot turn back time to a world where strategic, essential communication only happens in a sensitive, compartmentalized information facility, or over private, dedicated networks. Rather than doubling down on outdated protocols, we need to fix the broken network on which the world runs—commercial cellular."
The Trump Organization's mobile service launch shows consumers want alternatives to traditional providers like Verizon and AT&T, and is part of a growing trend of celebrity-backed telecom carriers. It’s easier than ever to launch a “virtual” telecom or MVNO, but underneath that fresh branding is the same old telecom infrastructure—same vulnerabilities, same data brokers, same surveillance. No matter who your carrier is, if it's running on the same telecom rails, your data is still being harvested and monetized.
Cape is the only privacy-focused mobile carrier with the deep telecom infrastructure to back up our values. We operate our own mobile core, giving you real independence from the traditional carriers, and not just a rebranded experience.
Salt Typhoon is Still Active
The Chinese espionage campaign continues to dominate headlines with mixed messages about containment:
Senator Maria Cantwell is demanding answers from AT&T and Verizon, challenging their claims that networks are secure. The campaign has expanded internationally, hitting Viasat and Canadian telecom networks.
Meanwhile, the top FBI cyber official says Salt Typhoon hackers are "largely contained" and "dormant"—but acknowledged they're difficult to fully remove because they can "create points of persistence" the longer they remain.
More Headlines in Mobile Security
- Cartels Using Cell Tracking to Hunt FBI Informants: The Sinaloa Cartel hacked phones and surveillance cameras to find FBI informants, showing how advanced threat actors increasingly target mobile communications.
- AT&T Settles Massive Data Breach: AT&T agreed to pay $177 million to settle lawsuits related to previous data breaches.
- Android 16 Adds Fake Tower Detection: Android 16 can warn users if a fake cell tower is trying to spy on them.
- Meta Confused by WhatsApp Ban for House Staffers: WhatsApp was quietly banned for Congressional staff, but Meta says it wasn’t told why.
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