Mobile repeaters and the law
Many devices sold online as "signal boosters" are illegal, and some interfere with the mobile network, including emergency calls. This is a plain guide to what is allowed in Australia and New Zealand, with links to the regulators.
Checked against the ACMA website on 11 November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice. The regulators' own pages are the authority.
In short
- In Australia, mobile phone boosters are prohibited.
- A cellular mobile repeater may only be used with the carrier's written permission, which the ACMA calls a third-party authorisation.
- An exempt repeater is easier to buy, but you still need the carrier's permission to use it.
- In New Zealand, the mobile network operators must approve repeaters used on their networks.
- Proeye confirms the requirements for every carrier on a project before specifying equipment.
Australia
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) regulates repeaters. It separates two kinds of device.
What a mobile repeater is
A mobile repeater is a fixed radiocommunications device that regenerates or replicates a mobile phone signal. It extends coverage to places the network does not reach well, such as indoor or underground parts of a building, or areas where mobile base stations are few and far between.
Repeaters operate in the licensed radio-frequency bands set aside for the Public Mobile Telephone Service (PMTS). The carriers use repeaters in their own networks, authorised under their PMTS licences.
Mobile phone boosters: prohibited
The ACMA describes boosters as devices that use a wired connection to a single handset. It is illegal to own, use or supply one in Australia.
Cellular mobile repeaters: with permission
Repeaters serve many handsets over the air. You may only operate one with written permission from the mobile carrier whose network it repeats.
That written permission is known as a third-party authorisation. It lets you operate the repeater under the carrier's radiocommunications licence, and the ACMA says carriers only give it for repeaters that meet Australian rules. The range they authorise is small: legitimate repeaters such as CEL-FI. A third-party authorisation from the carriers is how CEL-FI repeaters were first authorised for use in Australia.
The exempt repeater list
Under the Radiocommunications Equipment (General) Rules 2021, the ACMA can declare a repeater model exempt, but only after assessing an application from a carrier. An exempt model can be supplied to you without first showing the supplier your carrier's written permission; the permission comes with the repeater when it is supplied. Every model on the ACMA list on 11 November 2026 was a Nextivity CEL-FI product. The CEL-FI models Proeye installs appear on it as follows:
| Model | Requesting carriers listed |
|---|---|
| CEL-FI GO G41 | Optus, Telstra |
| CEL-FI GO G51 | Telstra |
| CEL-FI QUATRA 4000e | Optus |
| CEL-FI QUATRA EVO | Optus |
The full list also includes other CEL-FI GO, Pro, QUATRA 1000, SOLO, CONNECT and ROAM models. Exemption covers supply only: using any repeater still needs the carrier's written permission. See the full ACMA list (opens in a new tab).
Buying a repeater
The ACMA advises checking with your carrier before you buy, and being wary of online sellers. Exempt repeaters are supplied by the carriers and by legitimate Australian distributors, which have local offices, offer professional installation where needed, and can supply the written permission on the carrier's behalf.
Penalties
The ACMA lists these maximum penalties, quoted in penalty units with its current dollar figures:
- Operating an unlicensed device: up to 1,500 penalty units ($546,000) or 2 years in prison.
- Supplying a repeater to an unlicensed person: up to 500 penalty units ($182,000).
- Causing significant interference: up to 5,000 penalty units ($1,820,000) or 5 years in prison.
Why it matters for safety
Carriers report that illegal repeaters can disrupt coverage for whole communities, and interference can stop Triple Zero calls from getting through.
New Zealand
Radio Spectrum Management (RSM) regulates the radio spectrum. The mobile network operators hold the rights to the mobile bands.
- The New Zealand Telecommunications Forum says mobile signal boosters must be approved by the network operators responsible for the frequencies they use.
- RSM warns that most boosters sold online are not configured for New Zealand networks, advises checking with your operator first, and notes that interference can have legal consequences.
- For our New Zealand projects, we confirm the operators' approvals before we specify equipment.
How Proeye handles it
Proeye delivers projects involving Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. That is not the same as every repeater model being authorised on every network, so we check model by model and carrier by carrier.
- We use the ACMA's term, cellular mobile repeater. We do not sell or install boosters.
- We check the exempt repeater list and each carrier's requirements for every project.
- Every repeater we install is registered, and carrier authorisation is obtained as part of the registration process. In New Zealand we work with the manufacturer and the network operators.
- We do not install a configuration a carrier or network operator has not permitted.
- Once a repeater is installed, the purchaser is responsible for operating and managing it, unless a service level agreement is in place. We offer management and break-fix support for the systems we install.
- We are a Nextivity Elite System Integrator, certified for CEL-FI design, installation and maintenance. CEL-FI systems.
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