The FCC very clearly notes that signal boosters unarguably can have a positive affect, saying boosters “can help consumers, wireless service providers, and public safety first responders by expanding the area of reliable service to unserved or weak signal areas” and that current rules, “allow the use of signal enhancing devices” as part of the licensee agreement (Code of Federal Regulations part 22 & part 90). However, they also note that improperly installed devices can cause interference on the network. Its clear that signal boosters are an important part of network development and cellular networks make extensive use of them when extending wireless coverage.

So interference is clearly the crux of the issue. Both sides of the argument make different technical claims and inevitably these arguments will go on, but is it possible to quantify the prevalence of interference? In its public comments, AT&T claim in the past 3 years it recorded 87 incidents in South Florida, where many boosters are used in the yachting community. Extrapolating this nationwide we might estimate instances of interference number in the few thousands. Wilson Electronics, on their part, state that they alone have manufactured more than 2 million signal boosters since 2001. According to these figures it is perhaps one in a few thousand signal boosters that might cause interference. A figure no doubt that could be reduced further if standards for devices were raised and greater collaboration and communication could be had between network operators and device manufacturers. Indeed, in Verizon’s comments they cite just four instances of interference from Wilson Electronics’ amplifiers nationwide.

Public Safety and Emergency Services

Also at stake is the use of signal enhancers by emergency services. In the comments to the FCC petitions many police departments, fire-crews and other first responders have stated their requirement for readily available signal boosters. Numerous public safety officials have stated that they simply could not do the same job without using signal boosters. Also common are rural network customer on the fringe of coverage who rely on their cell phones for 911 emergency calls. For them a signal repeater is their only possible method of communication with family and emergency services.

What is clear from the content and number of comments is that the issue is contentious. The network operators have a right and a responsibility to ensure that their networks are not negatively impacted by user devices, but the FCC also has a responsibility to ensure that this is not abused and that if there is a solution that improves networks far greater than it impedes them, it should act swiftly to support it.

Ever since the Carterfone ruling the philosophy of the FCC has involved a commitment to competition in the marketplace. If everyone agrees that signal boosters can be positively used to improve a cellular network do we really want them to be controlled inside a walled garden by the networks or would we prefer to enable the same innovation that led to the invention of answering machines, faxes & modems after the Carterfone ruling? Also, is it not important to have some kind of quantitative investigation into how the instances of interference compare to the number of signal boosters being used by consumers, and by how much this would be further reduced by the introduction of unified and federally regulated specifications? Perhaps one day properly regulated signal boosters will be an important customer retention tool, used as a deal sweetener to keep wireless customers paying their large monthly premiums.

Some of the features include:

• Surfing the web with Apples Safari browser                                                            
• Sending and receiving e-mails
• Saving and sharing photos
• an electronic book store and book reading interface
• a video player
• iPod software for playing music
• a newspaper reader program

Apple will sell a version with 3G data plans and without a long term contract. For those who experience a weak signal on the AT&T service we have a range of repeaters that will greatly improve your 3G data service. We recommend a dual band repeater so you can also have improved reception on your cell phone including the iPhone.

You can find a list of dual band repeaters on the following Repeaterstore page:

http://www.repeaterstore.com/support/buyer%20guide/dual-band-repeaters.html

Which one you need depends on the area you need to cover. Here is a list of the most popular kits we have, broken down by coverage area:

Mid-Range (up to 2,500 sq ft.)
zBoost YX510: http://www.repeaterstore.com/products/repeaterkits/wi-ex/zboost-dual-band.html
Wilson SOHO 801245: http://www.repeaterstore.com/products/repeaterkits/wilson/soho.html

Large Range (5,000 to 10,000 sq ft.):
Wilson SOHO “Premium” and “Ultimate” configurations. This is the same amplifier as before, but in more powerful kit combinations. Scroll down the Wilson SOHO page: http://www.repeaterstore.com/products/repeaterkits/wilson/soho.html

Very Large Range (greater than 10,000 sq ft.):
Wilson Ultimate Repeater Kit: http://www.repeaterstore.com/products/repeaterkits/wilson/wilson-dual-band-ultimate.html

If your phone shows a 3G icon in the top left of the screen:

1. Dial *3001#12345#* on the keypad and press call.
2. Select “UMTS Cell Environment”
3. Select “UMTS RR Info
4. If the uplink frequency is a number between 4132 and 4233, your phone is using the 800/850MHz Band. If the uplink frequency is a number between 9262 and 9538, your phone is using the 1900MHz band.

If your phone shows no 3G icon in the top left of the screen:

1. Dial *3001#12345#* on the keypad and press call.
2. Select “GSM Cell Environment”
3. Select “UMTS Network Information
4. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and find the ARFCN
5. If your ARFCN is between 128 and 251, then your phone is using the 800/850MHz band. If your ARFCN is between 512 and 810, then your phone is using the 1900MHz band.

Here are some simple instructions to find out which frequency your iPhone is using:

1. Access the iPhone’s Field Test mode by typing *3001#12345#* in the phone’s keypad and press dial. This will bring up the Field Test menu.

2. Select the “Cell Information” menu option to display a summary of all nearby towers. The “RX” code displays the signal strength of each tower. These RX values are dBm signal strength readings, where lower values means strong signal (so -60 signifies stronger signal than -80). The towers are listed by signal strength, and the top tower is usually the tower your phone is connecting to.

3. Selecting the first tower will take you to a further menu that displays more specific information. The “Freq” value shows the frequency block that the network is using. If the Freq number is between 128 and 251, the tower is using the 850 MHz Cellular band. If the Freq number is between 512 and 810, the tower is using the 1900MHz PCS band.

Since AT&T and Cingular merged a few years ago, the joint company has owned licenses for both frequency bands in most areas. In order to ensure an improvement on voice and data coverage, we recommend purchasing a dual band repeater for AT&T customers. Once installed, these repeaters will also improve the cell signal on every other network (except for Nextel). Here are our recommendations:

Medium reception: For users with medium signal quality outside their building (3 bars or more), the zBoost YX-510 kit will improve your cell phone signal to full bars for AT&T voice and data services, even if you currently have no AT&T service at all inside. This unit will usually cover up to 2,500 square feet. The kit is very easy to install, and comes with everything needed to set the system up. You can find our product page here: Wireless Extender zBoost YX-510.

Low reception: For users with low quality outside their building (2 bars or less), the YX-510 kit Premium Kit can be used to amplify the AT&T signal. This repeater will usually cover up to 3,000 square feet (or 5,000 square feet if you currently have 3 bars or more of signal outside). You can find our product page here: Wireless Extender zBoost YX-510 (scroll half way down the page).

Large coverage areas: For users with 2 or more bars of signal outside their building, and who wish to cover up to 10,000 square feet, we recommend : Digital Antenna DA4KSBR-50U 60dB Repeater Kit (scroll half way down the page). This more powerful antenna also comes with a high-gain omni-directional antenna, and is perfect for large-building installations.

If you have any questions about repeaters, or want a custom recommendation, feel free to call us at 1-800-761-3041 or e-mail us at support@repeaterstore.com.