FCC gives cautious go-ahead for signal boosters

The US comms regulator looks set to permit consumer-owned boosters, including mobile ones, despite the industry's adamant opposition and predictions of worse service for all if the rules go ahead.

While indisputably illegal in the UK, cell boosters have slipped between the rules in the USA where many companies sell them to customers looking to improve their cellular coverage. They often achieve that, but at the cost of confusing the macro network, knocking other customers off entirely and draining everyone's battery, not to mention putting lives at risk if the operators are to be believed.

Cell boosters are basically mains-powered mobile phones with big antennas, enabling them to pick up a signal that a handset can't. The booster then operates as a base station allowing nearby handsets to connect, and routes their calls over the cellular network. The problem is that cellular boosters aren't regulated, and the network operators reckon they can't be used safely without hugely restrictive regulations at the very least.

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