Police have seized four mobile signal boosters and amplifiers illegally kept in Birgunj for the purpose of using the services of Indian telecommunication service providers.
Those devices are being used to increase the signal strength of companies like Airtel, Jio, BSNL to operate easily locally.
Parsa police chief SP Gautam Mishra confirmed that illegally used mobile signal boosters and amplifiers have been seized in Birgunj. "After receiving information that such devices were used to increase signal strength to use the services of Indian telecommunication service providers, we investigated," he said, "Using such devices is illegal." This will affect the income of the local telecommunication service providers and ultimately affect the revenue of the Government of Nepal.'
According to Mishra, the setup with those boosters has been confiscated in collaboration with the Cyber Bureau. In this matter, Ncell informed the regulator Nepal Telecommunications Authority after realizing that 'network interference' i.e. one signal was affecting the quality of another signal in the area around Birganj .
The authority issued a notice on this matter on March 17 and requested not to use signal booster and amplifier devices. "We found that people put signal boosters on the roofs of their houses and happily use Indian service providers," said Ncell.
According to telecommunication experts, the use of mobile signal booster instead of solving the signal problem makes the telecommunication service more crowded . Mainly due to 'Frequency Interference' the quality of service deteriorates . "After we received many complaints about the phone not ringing, we found that a booster was used when we looked at why it happened," says an official of Ncell, "Then we informed the Telecommunication Authority . They immediately took out the information and informed the police.' The police confiscated the booster after the investigation and warned the user .
In the understanding of Ncell officials, this is just one example, not only four but dozens of such boosters have been installed in the vicinity of Birgunj and the cross-border seam has been run uninterrupted. They suspect that illegal signal boosters may have been used in other border areas as well. Telecom companies themselves have placed signal boosters in places where the tower cannot be placed or where there is a lot of user traffic . Companies import booster equipment with prior approval from the authority .
However, in the border areas, it has been found that anyone using such devices is using the mobile service provider's SIM in India. According to Vijay Kumar Rai, director of the monitoring division of the Telecommunication Authority, complaints regarding the use of boosters have been increasing recently.
"After receiving complaints that boosters were being used, we issued a notice on March 17 to see if there was a lack of public awareness," he said, "Since these boosters are radio equipment, they cannot be brought and used." Director Rai also told about the effect of using
booster on the network. "Because the booster throws high power, it affects the nearby BTS and frequency and it affects the service," he said, "We have heard that they bring and sell boosters in the shops." It has a wide range, and because it consumes more power, it affects the service provider's BTS . This causes the problem of the phone not ringing .'
According to him, there were no complaints about booster use even though there was frequency overlap. "When there were overlaps, we used to talk bilaterally with the Indian service provider to reduce the power of their tower and adjust the angle of the antenna," he said. At that time, we have solved the problem of frequency consumption by coordinating with the Indian service provider.' According to director Rai of
, such boosters may have been used in the border areas because the coverage of service providers in Nepal is weak or the quality of service is not good. "Low power devices do not disturb the tower, but if they are placed on the roof, they affect the BTS," he said.
According to the authority, permission is required according to the Telecommunications Act, 2053 and the Radio Act, 2014 to use boosters, amplifiers or such devices. Section 21 of the Telecommunication Act states that telecommunications services cannot be operated without a license. Section 3 of the Radio Act also prohibits the manufacture, possession and use of such devices without a permit.
