Verizon, Wilson reach accord on signal booster specifications

Wilson Electronics Inc. said it reached new technical specifications for cellular boosters with Verizon Wireless, a process that the manufacturer said worked because of the regulatory framework established by the Federal Communications Commission. The agreement on the specifications could help the FCC establish guidelines for cellular signal boosters going forward.
Verizon Wireless and Wilson said they filed joint comments in response to the FCC’s notice of proposed rulemaking on signal boosters, issued in April. Final comments are due Aug. 24, Wilson said.
“Wilson feels the joint proposal is a win-win for both consumers and cellular carriers,” said Wilson COO Joe Bana. “Boosters meeting new stricter design standards can ensure that private users as well as government agencies can continue to have reliable service in areas where signal coverage may not be optimal due to terrain or economics. The new standards will also ensure that carriers’ networks will be protected from cell site interference, which poorly built boosters might cause.
“In addition, we would like to commend Verizon Wireless for diligently and productively working on proposed specifications with Wilson Electronics and for sharing the common goal of bringing the best signal boosting solutions to market for the consumers. We also believe that if the technical specifications in the proposal have been deemed sufficient by Verizon Wireless to protect its cellular networks, they should be deemed sufficient to protect all cellular networks.”
In comments filed with the commission, wireless operator trade association CTIA said the FCC should demand that an operator’s consent be given before a signal booster can be operated, and that the sale of boosters to unauthorized parties be illegal. CTIA also asked for an equipment certification process for boosters be established.
The industry has been involved in a four-year debate over whether consumers should be able to use signal boosters to get better wireless coverage. CTIA filed a petition in 2007 asking the FCC to outlaw the sale and use of any device that can enhance or impair cellphone calls. The petition was a surprise to some third-party retailers, who called RCR Wireless News at the time and thought the story had to be wrong. Therein lies the crux of the problem: a cellphone booster can enhance coverage for a customer, but also has the potential to interfere with someone else’s signal. Yet, cellphone boosters have been marketed to carriers and end users alike as a way to improve the cellular signal in areas where coverage is less than satisfactory – and the reality remains that cellphone coverage in some locations is spotty.