In the recent case of Toby Studabaker and Shevaun Pennington a claim
was made in some news reports that the FBI "remotely turned on" his
mobile phone.

See http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/content_objectid=13187038_method=full_siteid=89488_headline=-HOME-TO-MUM-name_page.html

"In reality, the FBI were using telecommunications satellites in orbit
around the world to track him via his mobile phone.

The system can pin down a phone's location to within a few metres. 

The FBI agents were even able to turn on Studabaker's phone in his
pocket when it was switched off."

A friend contends that this is wholly true.

I believe that Mr Studabaker contacted the FBI himself, and agreed to
give himself up at the US Consultate in Frankfurt.

For instance, see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3076085.stm

"Mr Studabaker then called the FBI and asked what he should do. 

The FBI told him to go to Frankfurt to the US Consulate, and the
German police will get you there."

I believe that Mr Studabakers mobile phone was NOT remotely turned on,
but that following him turning it on and using the phone, the
authorities were able to track his position.  This tracking was then
not needed, as Mr Studabaker agreed to turn himself in.

I've found several news reports to back my position, and only two to
back my friends position.

I understand that technology exists which can triangulate the position
of any switched-on mobile phone.  We are talking explicitly about the
FBI having and using technology to remotely turn on a switched-off
mobile phone, so that triangulation can be done.

I need an authoritative source to show :

1) Whether the technology to remotely "turn on" mobile phones exists

AND

2) Whether the technology to remotely "turn on" mobile phones was used
in
this case

AND

3) A definitive source which would describe the circumstances of Mr
Studabaker being tracked and arrested.

Many thanks for your assistance.

Greetings Squiffy:

You quoted above "In reality, the FBI were using telecommunications
satellites in orbit around the world to track him via his mobile
phone.  The system can pin down a phone's location to within a few
metres.  The FBI agents were even able to turn on Studabaker's phone
in his pocket when it was switched off."  BUT the *next* paragraph
begins "So, when he called his family in Michigan on Tuesday and again
when Shevaun used his phone to call her parents the same day, the FBI
could see they were in Frankfurt."

The reporter's use of the word "So" immediately casts dispersion on
the claim he had just made. In using "So, when he called his
family...", the reporter implies that the FBI saw activity from a
*turned on* phone.  If the FBI could "turn on" his phone, they would
not have needed to wait for him to make any call to trace his
whereabouts.  On or off, they would have had him almost immediately. 
I believe Mcgivern's statement is a reporting error or his incorrect
use of the English language.  I'll wager my percentage of your
question fee that "The FBI agents were even able to turn on
Studabaker's phone in his pocket when it was switched off" should have
read "The FBI agents were even able to trace the signal of
Studabaker's phone in his pocket when it was not in use."

A satellite could locate/track a phone that was turned on yet not in
use.  They could ping a signal.  However, to turn on a phone that is
*powered* off is either science fiction or current "secret
information" - "eyes only" governmental technology.

The best avenue for you to uncover the absolute truth in his statement
is to contact the reporter, Mark Mcgivern, and ask for his source (and
meaning) of "turn on Studabaker's phone in his pocket when it was
switched off" - a source HAD to have said that or his reporting is in
error.  The article is from a Scottish newspaper and I found no other
mention Mcgivern's "switched off" claim anywhere else online except in
the article you provided.

CONTACT:
Mark Mcgivern
c/o Daily Record & Sunday Mail 
One Central Quay
Glasgow
G3 8DA
Switchboard 0141 309 3000  
Website mailto:online@dailyrecord.co.uk 
Got A Story?  mailto:reporters@dailyrecord.co.uk 
News [editor] Tom Hamilton
mailto:t.hamilton@dailyrecord.co.uk
Tel 0141.309.3250  

Judging from the way the editor emails are set up, it may be that his
email is mailto:m.mcgivern@dailyrecord.co.uk


I found 5 additional mentions of his arrest that may interest you (and
links to more mentions at the end from NewsTrove):

From http://www.wndu.com/news/072003/news_20868.php
"Since that time, Studabaker has called home to say 12-year-old
Shevaun Pennington is safe and unharmed. The family says the ex-Marine
wouldn't tell them where he was calling from today.  During the
fifteen-minute phone call, his family gave him the FBI's hotline
number hoping he would make the call."

From http://www.examiner.ie/breaking/2003/07/16/story106272.html
"A spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigations in
Wiesbaden said Studabaker was arrested in nearby Frankfurt-am-Main
around noon after German Police were alerted to the fact that he was
wanted in the UK.  He was walking alone in the street in the city
centre at the time of his arrest, said the spokeswoman, who was unable
to confirm how he had been identified or whether he had put up any
resistance to his arrest."

About Studabaker:
http://archives.tcm.ie/breakingnews/2003/07/16/story106254.asp
The article states that police had seized his computer so they may
have also found his cell number and related records on the hard drive.
 Through the use of those, law enforcement may have been able to trace
the last signal from the phone (or even have called him to establish a
signal).

From http://archives.tcm.ie/breakingnews/2003/07/16/story106187.asp
"Studabaker did not give her any indication whether Shevaun was still
with him or where he was phoning from, she added.  'They are not
giving any indication of where they are at this time. The FBI will be
the one to know where he is located,' she said."

From http://gomemphis.com/mca/nation_and_world/article/0,1426,MCA_454_2111982,00.html
"Authorities believe they met over the Internet. Police say the pair
met for the first time in England last Saturday before flying to
Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris, and their whereabouts have not
been traced further."


NewsTrove.com search

Toby Studabaker
http://newstrove.com/cgi-bin/search.pl?search=%22Toby+Studabaker%22&search_source=news

and

Toby Studebaker phone call traced
http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:bCkzAEC2P0QJ:newstrove.com/topics/Manchester.html+Toby+Studabaker+%22phone+call%22+traced&hl=en&ie=UTF-8


I could locate NO evidence that cell phones have a "remote on"
capability from another source.  This does not negate the possibility,
of course, but if it *is* a technological reality, governments are
keeping this information to themselves.

Authortative source?  I'm an English major and a current journalist. 
It appears to me that Mcgivern did not give his final report (and/or
choice of words) a much-needed final proofread.

Best regards,
journalist-ga


SEARCH STRATEGY:

Toby Studabaker "phone call"
Toby Studebaker "phone call"
Toby Studabaker "phone call" traced
Mark Mcgivern Daily Record
"remote control" technology to cellular phone
"remote control" technology turn on cell phone
"remote on" technology for cell phone

A very good answer, with many thanks for going to the trouble of
finding contact details for the reporter.  Well done, and many thanks.

Thank you for your comments and rating!  I'm delighted you are pleased.  :)

Best regards,
journalist-ga

PS  A Researcher colleague just pointed out to me that I should have
taken my own advice on the "final" proofread ("Authortative" typo). 
lol  "Journalist, heal thyself!"  ;)