https://urgentcomm.com/wp-content/themes/ucm_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
    • IWCE 2022 Winter Showcase
    • IWCE 2023 Pre-event Guide
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • Commentary
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • All Things IWCE
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • IWCE
    • Conference
    • Special Events
    • Exhibitor Listings
    • Premier Partners
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Register for IWCE
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookie Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • Mission Critical Technologies
    • TU-Auto
  • In the field
    • Back
    • In the field
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Internet of Things
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Call Center/Command
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Network Tech
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Operations
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Regulations
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • Organizations
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
Urgent Communications
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Omdia Crit Comms Circle Podcast
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
    • IWCE 2023 Pre-event Guide
    • IWCE 2022 Winter Showcase
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • All Things IWCE
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • UC eZines
    • Sponsored content
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • Conference
    • Why Attend
    • Exhibitor Listing
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Join the Event Mailing List
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • TU-Auto
  • newsletter
  • In the field
    • Back
    • Internet of Things
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Cybersecurity
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
acc.com

Commentary Newsletters


Wilson, Verizon strike signal booster deal

Wilson, Verizon strike signal booster deal

The key to the agreement is that Wilson believes these technical specifications drafted by the two companies should work for all cellular networks.
  • Written by Urgent Communications Administrator
  • 27th July 2011

Signal booster vendor Wilson Electronics and Verizon Wireless are making nice. Wilson announced that it has come to an agreement with Verizon regarding new technical specifications for consumer cellular boosters. The two companies have filed jointly in a response to the FCC’s signal booster notice of proposed rulemaking, and Wilson may finally get what it has been seeking.

If you recall, Wilson and mobile operators have been at odds for years over signal boosters, otherwise known as cellular amplifiers, which increasingly are being used to strengthen signals in areas with poor cellular coverage. Public-safety and mobile-operator advocates, among them the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA), are alarmed over the improper installation and use of signal boosters that have the power to interfere with cellular and public-safety transmissions for miles by creating noise feedback in the radio frequency transmission.

Mobile operators have wanted the FCC to allow them to “carrier certify” these devices, but Wilson has opposed that position, saying the move would stifle sales of signal boosters. Instead, it wants the FCC to add more parameters to its type-acceptance program to eliminate the primary reasons for network interference.

Now Verizon and Wilson have come to an agreement, which includes support from wireless engineering consulting firm V-COMM.

Wilson believes the joint proposal is a win-win for both consumers and cellular carriers, according to Joe Banos, the company’s chief operating officer.

“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,” Banos said in a statement. “The new standards will also ensure that carriers’ networks will be protected from cell site interference, which poorly built boosters might cause.”

The key to the agreement is that Wilson believes these technical specifications drafted by the two companies should work for all cellular networks.

“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,” Banos said.

Will the move bring closure to a debate that has been going on for more than six years? One thing that is highly agreed upon in the wireless industry is that Verizon Wireless has strict standards for its wireless networks. Based on that alone, it is reasonable to think that the new specifications sufficiently will protect all cellular networks.

The joint proposal covers consumer boosters, industry-certified boosters and licensee-installed boosters. The most problematic are the consumer boosters that have been sold and deployed in the U.S. that often use improper technologies and/or are installed incorrectly by end users.

Highlights of the consumer booster requirements are as follows:

  • The specifications should enable consumers to install and operate boosters without causing harm to cellular networks.
  • Consumer boosters can be installed and used by consumers for use in buildings or vehicles.
  • Consumer boosters must by FCC type-certified and registered with the licensed operators, either manually or through a Bluetooth device.
  • The boosters must be bidirectional RF amplifiers.
  • The boosters must not exceed 1 W (uplink) or 0.05 W (downlink) composite power per band of operation, and must have the proposed requirements for elements that protect interference.

Despite the agreement between Wilson and Verizon, important questions still remain to be answered. For instance, will carriers have the ability to detect unlawful boosters? Also, how will the FCC keep those cheaper booster suppliers from continuing to target the market? I hope to see the commission incorporate some sort of enforcement of these regulations.

What do you think? Tell us in the comment box below.

Tags: Commentary Newsletters Networks & Systems Commentary

Most Recent


  • Land mobile radio (LMR) systems are just as vulnerable to cyberattacks as any other networks used in the public-safety sector. Here’s what to do about it.
    There was a time, not very long ago, when public-safety agencies and other public-sector organizations didn’t seem to fully appreciate the significant threat that cyberattacks pose to their operations and ability to fulfill their missions. But that began to change over the last couple of years, thanks to a spate of high-profile incidents. One occurred […]
  • September 3GPP Plenary meetings feature Release 18 progress, Release 19 beginnings
    The 3GPP Plenary meetings took place September 11-15, 2023, in Bangalore, India. The Technical Specification Group (TSG) reports below highlight continued progress on Release 18 (R18) features of interest for public safety, including steady development on the stage 3 protocol work, which is the last stage in 3GPP standards development. The Plenary meetings included planning […]
  • Better technology can help solve the public-safety staffing crisis
    Every time I read about a public safety agency being short staffed, with a burnt-out workforce, draining their overtime budget, I feel their pain. From New York to New Mexico and in communities all across the nation, police and fire departments routinely are forced to mandate longer shifts, which takes an emotional toll and raises […]
  • Updated: How 'sidelink' peer-to-peer communications can enhance public-safety operations
    Editor’s note: A previous version of this column was posted that included only the first portion of the article—a mistake by the editor. IWCE’s Urgent Communications regrets the error and apologizes for any inconvenience. When first responders are called to action, they need reliable communications to coordinate an effective public-safety response. Public-safety personnel understand this […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

To leave a comment login with your Urgent Comms account:

Log in with your Urgent Comms account

Or alternatively provide your name, email address below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Unlocking the power of ESInets: Different NG911 provisioning approaches exist; level of control is key differentiator
  • Ransomware? Let's call it what it really is: extortionware
  • Redefining communications for today’s mobile workforces
  • Hi-tech sewer can help safeguard public health, environment and economies

Commentary


Land mobile radio (LMR) systems are just as vulnerable to cyberattacks as any other networks used in the public-safety sector. Here’s what to do about it.

  • 1
7th November 2023

September 3GPP Plenary meetings feature Release 18 progress, Release 19 beginnings

13th October 2023

Better technology can help solve the public-safety staffing crisis

26th June 2023
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


Newsletter

Sign up for UrgentComm’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about Communications and Technology.

Expert Commentary

Learn from experts about the latest technology in automation, machine-learning, big data and cybersecurity.

Business Media

Find the latest videos and media from the market leaders.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital and print audiences? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • American City & County
  • IWCE
  • Light Reading
  • IOT World Today
  • Mission Critical Technologies
  • TU-Auto

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Careers

FOLLOW Urgent Comms ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.