Are you continuously facing poor phone signal in your office or home?
Does your signal keep dropping during that important phone call?
Are you worried about the legality of signal boosters in the UK?
This article answers these questions for you, providing a solution to even the most complex cases of poor phone signal.
Are Mobile Signal Boosters Legal in the UK?
You may not be aware, but since 2018, there is an OFCOM approved solution to poor phone signal. Cel-Fi is the company who pioneered this move towards legality, with Sure Signal Ltd being approved resellers for Cel-Fi and having performed many distributed antenna systems both in collaboration with Cel-Fi and using their boosters.
These OFCOM compliant signal boosters were welcome additions to the market as the grey area around boosting phone signal has always been difficult to decipher. For many years companies installed systems which are today considered banned under OFCOM regulations. OFCOM are known to perform checks and remove these systems when they are discovered. This is why it is always important to purchase your system from an approved reseller like Sure Signal to avoid the fines and repercussions associated with the non compliant systems.
The Cel-Fi legal phone signal boosters are compatible with 3G, 4G, and voice and data is seen to significantly improve after the introduction of a system. All network signal boosters are banned with the most important difference between the legal and illegal boosters is the amount of networks they can boost at one time. Each network, EE, Three, O2 and Vodafone, and the smaller carriers which use these networks are all compatible with these products.
What qualifies the Cel-Fi range to be deemed legal is that they are license exempt by OFCOM in the UK, ensuring that they are compliant with the regulations set out in 2018. As they are the only producer of license exempt in the UK, be wary of the cheap knock off units for sale on websites. These may be “legal” to sell, but they certainly aren’t legal to use. With the fine and repercussions being felt by the user of the unit, not the seller. Another reason to steer clear of the non compliant signal boosters you see everywhere on the internet.
Sure Signal Ltd have had a lot of clients who had previously been sold illegal solutions, only for OFCOM inspectors to have it removed. Sure Signal, upgraded or installed all of these clients distributed antenna systems to be OFCOM compliant and therefore, legal. Some of our clients were shocked when they learned their systems weren’t compliant and didn’t hesitate to get the compliant equipment installed. Offices, hospitals, and many other commercial premises are all examples of places who have needed our assistance in moving to the legal signal boosters.
The importance and significance of the license exempt equipment in comparison to the illegal ones in huge. It can cause very large fines should the situation not be rectified with OFCOM taking a particularly strong stance on illegal signal boosters and the disruption to the networks which they cause. We will now take a closer look at OFCOM’s take on the regulations to get a greater understanding of what it is that makes the Cel-fi signal booster license exempt.
Any person found guilty of installing or using such devices without a licence would be liable on conviction to a fine of up to £5000 and/or up to 51 weeks’ imprisonment (Six months in Scotland and Northern Ireland). Cel-fi products are ‘Licence exempt’ and therefore you do not run that risk with this range of products”.
A distributed antenna system is what is used in the majority of signal boosting solutions. This uses an external antenna, usually on a high point on the building like the roof. The repeater or booster itself and the internal antennas which distribute the signal throughout the building. The size of the system, the amount of amplifiers, and the amount of antennas is all dependent on the size and scope of the building. Something which our surveyor would determine during the site visit survey.
What else do OFCOM have to say on the matter?
OFCOM: “In the UK the use of any radio transmitting device is required to be either licensed or specifically exempted from licensing under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 (WT Act 2006). For mobile telephones, the use of the spectrum by the network operators is licensed to cover the use of transmitters and repeaters, while user devices (i.e. handsets) are covered by a general exemption.”
This translates to OFCOM ensuring the boosters do not interfere with the networks, they remain within the license conditions, be automatically configured. Cel-Fi ticks all these boxes and is therefore the only legal booster on the market with no other competitor being able to gain OFCOM’s approval.
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If you would like to discuss the possibility of installing an OFCOM compliant booster solution, contact our expert staff today who are always happy to help with all kinds of booster related queries.