A South African telecommunications company has reported that an influx in the transportation of foreign cordless phones into the country is the cause of “deteriorating service.”
According to Steven Barnwell, Vodacom’s managing executive for the Western Cape, “people complain about the network deteriorating, but what we find—and it seems to be an increasing trend—[is that] people go overseas, buy a cordless phone and bring it back here, not realizing … [that] it’s illegal because it’s not ICASA [Independent Communications Authority of South Africa] approved.”
Non-approved foreign cordless phones can interfere with nearby base stations, affecting all related wireless communication in the surrounding area. Many users are unaware that the phones are illegal and are capable of causing such problems.
While Vodacom remains actively engaged in tracking down illegal phones, the company faces an expensive and time-consuming process because “you need very advanced triangulation technology and vehicles to pinpoint it,” Barnwell said.
“Three vehicles triangulating where that signal is coming from—it’s not that easy to just pick up that signal,” he added.
