Pagers – last used widely in the 1980s and ’90s – have been the target of a wave of deadly blasts in Lebanon, killing eight and injuring 2700.
Members of Hezbollah using pagers were targeted by the mysterious explosions, plunging Beirut into mass confusion as the beepers were detonated in cafes, restaurants and shopping centres.
Pagers have been used by Hezbollah operatives for internal communication for some time due to them being far less traceable than mobile phones.
READ MORE: Superbugs could kill nearly 40 million people by 2050, study estimates
Sources told Reuters that Hezbollah had been using pagers as a means of communication in an attempt to evade Israeli location tracking and spyware.
It’s believed the mostly-obsolete technology was used to prompt members to contact each other through internal phone lines.
In a speech in February, Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah urged Hezbollah members and their families to ditch their mobile phones.
“Shut it off, bury it, put it in an iron chest and lock it up,” the Hezbollah leader said.
“Do it for the sake of security and to protect the blood and dignity of people.”
“The collaborator (with the Israelis) is the cell phone in your hands, and those of your wife and your children. This cell phone is the collaborator and the killer.”
READ MORE: ‘Incredible’: How mass pager explosion in Lebanon could have happened
These handheld devices have privacy advantages as they are one-way receivers, meaning it sends no information back to the base station.
Instead of calls, pagers receive and display alphanumeric messages or voice messages.
They are almost impossible to be location-tracked because they don’t have a GPS built-in.
The devices rely on radio signals instead of cellular towers.
Encrypted pagers are also possible to be purchased by some retailers.
The pagers, which were used as makeshift explosive devices, are believed to be Gold Apollo models.
READ MORE: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs pleads not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering charges
However, a Hezbollah official told The Associated Press the pagers were a new brand, but declined to say how long they had been in use.
Pagers have declined in use and popularity since the invention of mobile phones and smartphones in the late ’90s and early 2000s.
Some professions still use them, including doctors and nurses in hospitals.
Israel has not claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s pager attack in Lebanon.
READ MORE: Crucial lead unlocked in mystery disappearance of Melbourne mother
Analysts have speculated the simultaneous explosions were the result of supply chain tampering.
A former British Army munitions expert, who remained anonymous, told the BBC the devices may have been packed with 10-20 grams of military grade explosive hidden within the pager.
links to content on ABC
9News
