Don’t use illegal transmitters, Globe says

Globe Telecom warned the public against the use of illegal signal transmitters, which are tapped to boost wireless coverage in a certain area, saying these cause widespread interference in communications services.

The telco giant said in a statement that it had detected mobile service interference in 1,200 of its cell sites, about 15 percent of its more than 8,000 cell sites. It said 60 percent of the affected areas were in Metro Manila.

Globe, which has drawn criticism alongside PLDT Inc. for the quality of mobile services, said this was partly due to signal boosters, repeaters and RFIDs (radio frequency identification), commonly used for car parking or security systems in subdivisions, toll ways and in buildings.

This type of interference leads to dropped calls, garbled lines, weak signal and slow browsing, it said.

“While illegal signal boosters may enhance wireless coverage in a particular area, such devices, when improperly designed or installed, will cause interference with mobile networks and thus will impede communication services, including emergency calls in the community,” Globe general counsel Froilan Castelo said in a statement.

Globe said it had located and closed down 120 illegal repeaters and RFID systems. Compared to 2016, there was an 85 percent increase in sites with signal interference in 2017.