Speculation: The "A5 `scrambling code'" is used as the spreading code for a spread spectrum radio. Spread spectrum radio has some features cypherpunks may find interesting: both stegnagraphic and cryptographic. A Spread Spectrum signal is usualy based on xoring a very high rate "pseudorandom" bitstream with the intelligence to be transmitted. The resulting wide spectrum signal is usualy transmitted via radio. As a result the signal is very hard to notice since the watts/hz can be orders of magnitude under normal narrow band signals (stegnography). As a second result, once detected the signal cannot be understood without syncronizing an identicle "pseudorandom" bitstream at the reciever (cryptography). The reason that gov't types would fear the dispersal of the technology is obvious. Btw. many of the wireless lans use exactly this technology. j'