 STE desk set. Note slot in front for Fortezza PC Card. Secure Terminal Equipment (STE) is the U.S. Government's current (as of 2004), encrypted telephone communications system for wired or "landline" communications. It is intended to replace the older STU-III system. STE is designed to use ISDN telephone lines which offer higher speeds of up to 128k bits per second and are all digital. The greater bandwidth allows higher quality voice and can also be utilized for data and fax transmission through a built-in RS-232 port. STE sets are backwards compatible with STU-III phones.
STE sets look like ordinary high-end office desk telephones and can place unsecured calls to anywhere on the public switched telephone network (PSTN). There is a PC Card slot in the STE that allows a Fortezza Plus (KOV-14) Crypto Card to be inserted. When a Crypto Card that has been properly configured by the NSA is present, secure calls can be placed to other STE phones. The STE system is designed so that when the STE set and the Crypto Card are separated, neither is considered classified. STE phones are "releasable" (unlike STU-III sets). All cryptographic algorithms are in the Fortezza Plus card.
Ruggedized "tactical" models are available than can operate with the military's Tri-Tac field communication system. There are upgrade kits available that allow STE sets to communicate with the Future Narrowband Digital Terminal (FNBDT) secure wireless voice systems.
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