Nigeria’s telecoms watchdog says it has mounted surveillance for unlicensed users of GSM Boosters in the country.
GSM Boosters otherwise known as mobile phone boosters are off-the-shelf repeaters/amplifiers that receive mobile telephone signals using a small external antenna, amplifies the signal, and then send such signals to the mobile phones or devices of their respective users.
The Nigerian Communications Commission which says unlicensed use of GSM Booster is against the law, and “will not condone any flagrant breach on this law” hints that “monitoring mechanisms have been put in place and anyone caught using GSM Booster without obtaining approval of a duly licensed network operator will face arrest and prosecution.”
The telecoms watchdog this week says it is clamping down on unlicensed use of GSM Boosters because the devices, which can transmit and receive telecommunications signals, “can therefore interfere with other radio frequency equipment.”
Telecoms watchdog says its attention “has been drawn to the fact that GSM Boosters are being illegally used by individuals in Nigeria.”
NCC says that “individuals desirous of using GSM Boosters should note that they can only do so in conjunction with licensed network operators.”
The telecoms watchdog’s alert issued this week followed a similar one in June, this years where it is warning that illegal use of GSM Boosters in Nigeria and “wilful interference with any wireless telegraphy is an offence under Section 16 of the Telegraphy Act, 2004.”