A cellular repeater, cell phone repeater, or wireless cellular signal booster, a type of bi-directional amplifier (BDA) as commonly named in the wireless telecommunications industry, is a device used for boosting the cell phone reception to the local area by the usage of a reception antenna, a signal amplifier and an internal rebroadcast antenna. These are similar to the cellular broadcast towers used for broadcasting by the network providers, but are much smaller, usually intended for use in one building. Modern cellular repeater amplifiers rebroadcast cellular signals inside the building. The systems usually use an external, directional antenna to collect the best cellular signal, which is then transmitted to an amplifier unit which amplifies the signal, and retransmits it locally, providing significantly improved signal strength. The more advanced models often also allow multiple cell phones to use the same repeater at the same time, so are suitable for commercial as well as home use.
The market for cellular repeaters is expected to grow rapidly over the coming years, particularly in the USA. This is due to the combination of the poor network coverage in some areas, and the large scale departure from the land-line system. The CTIA – The Wireless Association (formerly the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association) had predicted that by 2007 30% of phone users in the US would be mobile only - more than 60 million lines. This combined with the low population density (compared with Europe and Japan) means that many people will have to use some method to improve their home signal.
One advantage of cellular repeaters is an increase in the cell phone's battery life due to the lower power required to broadcast the signal to the local bi-directional amplifier, due to its proximity to the phone.
Read more about Cellular Repeater: Different Operating Frequencies, Regulation in Australia, Approval in The USA By The FCC, Approval in The UK By Ofcom and The UK Market