Gold Apollo AR924
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| Manufacturer | BAC Consulting KFT |
|---|---|
| Type | Pager |
| Form factor | Taco |
| Dimensions | 73 mm × 50 mm × 27 mm (2.9 in × 2.0 in × 1.1 in) |
| Weight | 133 g (4.7 oz) |
| Battery | Removable Li-ion battery |
| Display | LCD display 164 x 64 px, 64 ppi, 4 lines |
| Sound | Monophonic ringtones |
| Data inputs | 4 buttons |
The Gold Apollo AR924 is an alphanumeric one-way pager in a taco form factor sold under the brandname of the Taiwanese company Gold Apollo.[1][2] According to a statement published by Gold Apollo on their web page on 18 September 2024, they are not the manufacturer of the device and had instead licensed the brand to the Hungarian company BAC Consulting.[3][4]
Features
The PC-programmable and hand-programmable pager is equipped with 4 buttons with two-way scrolling, a 4 lines LCD screen, and a removable lithium battery, rechargeable via a USB-C connector, and lasting up to 85 days with 2.5 hours of charging.[1]
The AR924 allows the user to store up to 30 messages with a maximum length of 100 characters. Its data transfer rate is 512/1200/2400 bit/s for POCSAG.
Sales
The AR924 model is not available for sale in Taiwan nor the United States. More broadly, direct exports of Gold Apollo-manufactured pagers from Taiwan amount to some 260,000 sets between the start of 2022 and August 2024 (including over 40,000 between January and August 2024), mostly to the United States, Hong Kong and Australia, according to Taiwan's Ministry for Economic Affairs.[5]
The ministry's figures recorded no direct exports of any Gold Apollo-manufactured pagers from Taiwan to Lebanon during the same period, however indirect exports via third parties could not be ruled out.[6]
2024 Israeli tampering and explosions in Lebanon
In 2024, Israeli intelligence personnel tampered the pagers during the shipment to Lebanon and added explosives to them, according to officials briefed on the operation.[7]
On 17 September 2024, some 5,000 AR924 pagers exploded almost simultaneously in Lebanon and parts of Syria, at around 3:30 pm local time, killing 12 people and injuring over 2,750.[8] The explosions appeared to be a co-ordinated attack against the Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group Hezbollah.[9][10][8] Reportedly, some 500 Hezbollah members lost their eyesight in the explosions - however, no further elaboration on this number was provided.[11][12]
Initially-circulated photos of the damaged pagers showed components displaying the logo of Gold Apollo, leading to feverish online speculation that the pagers involved had originated from its factories in Taiwan.
The following day, Gold Apollo founder Hsu Ching-Kuang told reporters in Taiwan that the company did not manufacture the pagers involved in the explosions, but that they were made by its long-term partner, the Hungary-based company BAC Consulting KFT,[13] under a licence that had been in place for three years.[14][12][15] BAC Consulting KFT cooperated with Gold Apollo and represented many of its products.[16] However, Gold Apollo did not provide any evidence of the contract.[17] DW which investigated BAC's official address in Budapest could not find any employees, resulting in speculation of it being a shell company.[18] Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono, the CEO of BAC Consultancy denied they manufactured the devices claiming them to be intermediaries.[19]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Rugged Pager AR924". Gold Apollo. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ "Gold Apollo Rugged Pager AR924". Apollo Systems HK. Archived from the original on 17 September 2024.
- ^ "Gold Apollo Co., Ltd, Statement". Archived from the original on 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ "Taiwan Company Tries to Distance Itself From Pagers Used in Lebanon Attack". New York Times. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ "What we know about the Taiwanese firm caught up in Lebanon's exploding pagers attack". CNN. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ "Taiwanese company Gold Apollo says it didn't make pagers used in Lebanon". Washington Post. 17 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ "Israel Planted Explosives in Pagers Sold to Hezbollah, Officials Say". September 17, 2024.
- ^ a b Belam, Martin; Lowe, Yohannes; Chao-Fong, Léonie; Ambrose, Tom; Graham-Harrison, Emma; Sabbagh, Dan; Wintour, Patrick (17 September 2024). "Lebanon attacks 'an extremely concerning escalation', says UN official, as Hezbollah threatens retaliation – live". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ "Hezbollah official: Exploded pagers were a new brand, replaced cellphones at Nasrallah's order". The Times of Israel. 17 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ "Exploding Hezbollah devices reportedly issued in recent days". i24NEWS. 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ^ "Some 500 Hezbollah members lost eyesight in pager explosions". The Times of Israel. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Taiwan's Gold Apollo Says Hezbollah Pagers Made By Hungary Partner," Barrons.
- ^ "Hungarian firm tied to pager blasts in Lebanon unmasked". Ynetnews. 18 September 2024.
- ^ "Gold Apollo says it did not make pagers used in Lebanon explosions". Reuters. 2024-09-18. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ "Taiwanese Company Disavows Links to Exploding Pagers in Lebanon and Syria," Time.
- ^ "Taiwan’s Gold Apollo says Hezbollah pagers made by Hungary partner BAC," Al Arabiya.
- ^ "Lebanon pager blasts: Budapest-based BAC Consulting KFT under scrutiny". Mint. 18 September 2024.
- ^ "BAC: Hungarian firm in focus of Hezbollah pager explosions – DW – 09/18/2024". dw.com. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ "British-educated businesswoman denies making Hezbollah pagers which killed 12 people". The Independent. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.