ACMA Seizes Mobile Phone Jammers

At the most recent ACMA Radcomms 2012 conference held in Melbourne, presentations were made by a variety of spectrum users, including ACMA staff on compliance activities undertaken over the past year. In 2011 the ACMA declared mobile phone jammers to be a prohibited device and illegal to possess and to use such devices to interfere with mobile phones operating in the Public Mobile Telephone Service. These devices offered on internet websites operate in all the mobile telephone bands and cause phones within a certain radius to not operate entirely including access to police and emergency services.

The ready access to consumer devices over the internet has seen a dramatic increase in the number of illegal mobile phone jammers coming across Australia’s borders. The ACMA working with Customs Australia, postal authorities, and freight importers announced that 300 phone jammers have been seized in the past year. The ACMA said that the public needs to be aware that buying jamming devices overseas and importing them for novelty or commercial use can cause serious disruption to other consumers that need immediate access to emergency services via their mobile phones.

Another device that is causing concern is the importation and use of mobile phone repeaters used to extend phone coverage. These devices are also not authorized and owners could be subject to compliance action for possession and use.

More information on Mobile phone jammers and repeaters can be found on the following two ACMA web pages:

Mobile phone jammers - Link

Mobile telephone repeaters - Link

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