Today, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that recognizes the need for consumer signal boosters to fill in the gaps in carriers wireless coverage. The NPRM suggests new rules and standards for signal boosters to ensure they can boost cellular signal for consumers without any adverse effects. The FCC notes that the signal coverage is not complete in rural and other underserved areas and that “signal boosters are part of the solution”.

Well-designed, properly operating, and properly installed signal boosters have the potential to improve consumers’ wireless network coverage without harming commercial, private, and public safety wireless network performance

This is part of the ongoing initiative to promote and improve voice and broadband services in the United States with the FCC also noting that signal boosters can aid public safety first responders, residents, businesses and students get the adequate cellular coverage that they require to function. The key motivations and points in the NPRM are quoted as follows:

“Police departments and emergency medical personell rely on signal boosters to extend land mobile coverage in areas of limited service and to improve communications during disasters and other emergencies.”

“Malfunctioning, improperly installed, or technically deficient signal boosters, may cause harmful interference”

“Our goal in this proceeding is to facilitate the development and deployment of well-designed signal boosters that do not interfere with wireless networks.”

So how exactly would the new regulations work? Well, the FCC is proposing a license-by-rule framework, whereby operation of signal boosters would be permitted by the agencies authority and thus “obviate the need for burdensome individual licensing requirements”. This would involve the establishing of a new Signal Booster Radio Service under Part 95 of the Commission’s Rules. The FCC is also considering an alternative approach whereby signal boosters would be licensed under existing laws for subscriber equipment, much like cellular handsets are today.

In short, the FCC is formalizing what most of us have known all along: cellular coverage is not good enough. In the modern age we are ever more reliant on our phones for important calls and increasingly data services. The FCC recognizes that the task of providing this service cannot fall on the carriers alone and is moving to make cellular signal boosters part of the solution.

The full document can be read here: FCC Signal Booster NPRM

Wilson Electronics has introduced it’s first 4G AWS signal booster. This unit is designed to help rural customers maximize their 4G internet signal on the T-Mobile wireless service. This T-mobile 4G AWS booster will be the first in a new line of amplifiers that will boost the emerging 4G networks!

AWS is the band that T-Mobile is using for it’s newly introduced 4G HSPA+ data network which is also used by Cricket and MetroPCS and some smaller rural carriers for delivering a high speed alternative to the slower satellite internet many rural customers are currently using.

The 4G AWS booster is similar in size to Wilson’s other amplifiers and can deliver a 60dB improvement in signal strength, enough to turn a weak signal into a manageable one, the company says. Similar to how their existing repeater systems operate, the new 4G AWS  system will improve your weak T-Mobile internet signal in and around your home or office.

The 4G AWS 60 db amplifier will be joined in the Wilson line-up by a booster for the AT&T 700Mhz LTE network and they will soon add a Verizon model and a Sprint/Clearwire Wimax amplifier. These all join the great selection of boosters for Mobile, Home and Office currently available from Repeaterstore.com.

We’ve previously listed causes of bad cell signal on our blog, but cellphones.org have put the info into a great graphic. Nice to see repeaters listed first in ways to improve reception!

A summary of the causes of bad cell reception:

• Large distance from the nearest cell towers, found in rural areas and offshore
• Signal blocked by large structures – large buildings, mountains, tunnels, trees etc
• Construction materials which block cell phone signal
• High density urban areas have many low powered towers which emit weak signal that cannot penetrate buildings
• Network congestion – poor signal during times of unexpected network load such as large conferences, music festivals, local emergency situations etc.

A Recreational Vehicle on the move can have significant cell reception problems depending on the location its traveling in. A good way to minimize dropped calls & increase reception to cellular phones / broadband data cards is to install a Cellular Repeater Kit in the coach.

A Cellular Repeater Kit will allow you to make calls when very little cell phone signal exists. This booster will also reduce dropped calls and increase internet speeds. We have had good success with Wilson Electronics Repeater kits customized for use in Motorhomes & RVs.

Wilson Electronics is well regarded in the industry because of their high quality.

Cell Phone Boosters or Repeaters are very simple to setup and they do not require expert installation. A Repeater kit consists of 3 major components; an external antenna, an amplifier or booster and an internal antenna that gives cellular coverage inside the RV.

Kits can range from $300 for a single-phone style amp to $600 for a more powerful amp that can support multiple cell phones and/or broadband data cards. A few of these kits are listed below.

Single Cell phone use:

http://www.repeaterstore.com/products/Wilson-841233-Wilson-841233-Mini-SignalBoost-RV-Kit

Multiple Cell  Phones or Data Cards:

http://www.repeaterstore.com/products/Wilson-841295-Wilson-841295-Ambulance-and-RV-Repeater-Kit

After purchasing and installing our repeaters, a lot of customers ask why repeaters aren’t more commonplace. Almost everyone has experienced cell phone problems, whether it’s a dropped call while you’re driving, or poor reception when you call home from the supermarket to check whether you need to buy milk. Dropped calls and poor reception mean dissatisfied customers and lost revenue, so why aren’t network providers scrambling to install repeaters on every street corner?

To explain why, I’ll have to give a little background on how cell phone networks are licensed to use their frequencies. The FCC (the Federal Communications Commission) is in charge of designating and selling licenses for the frequency spectrum that cell phones use. The FCC has two main frequency ranges that it has licensed networks to use, one is around 850MHz (the “Cellular band”) and another is around 1900MHz (the “PCS band”). Each one of these “bands” is then subdivided into smaller frequency “blocks” and sold to networks. The 800MHz band is usually shared between two networks (usually Cingular and Verizon), and the 1900MHz band is usually shared between six networks (usually T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, Cingular and a couple of regional carriers).

Have a look at the diagram below to see what the FCC licensing scheme looks like.

As part of their licensing rules for these cellular frequencies, the FCC requires that networks only sell and use equipment that works on their specific frequency “blocks”. However for technical reasons it’s very difficult and expensive to create repeaters that only cover these smaller frequency blocks. You’ll notice that all the repeaters we sell on our site cover an entire frequency band, and never just a frequency block. If networks were to start installing repeaters wherever they could, they’d be flouting FCC rules and would probably get slammed with a big fine. Moreover, Sprint would hardly want to install a 1900MHz repeater that would also improve the reception for all the other networks that share the band and with which it competes.

Since networks can’t install these repeaters or even make a little cash selling them to their customers, they don’t promote them at all. By contrast, in Asian countries like South Korea repeaters are installed in every apartment complex, shopping mall, and even on street corners. Unless the FCC makes an exception for repeaters, it’ll be a while before we see similar market penetration here in the States. With no network backing, the repeater market in the US is developing as people learn of the products through word-of-mouth and as manufacturers like Wi-Ex, Wilson, TelecomTek and Spotwave gradually promote their products.