Wilson, a small manufacturer in St. George, Utah, has been calling for standards on the devices for years. The company claims its boosters don't interfere with carrier networks but that many others can because they are not regulated. With its joint proposal to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Monday with Verizon, Wilson finally has a major carrier ally in pushing its case. Verizon came to Wilson seeking to work together on a plan, said Wilson spokesman Jonathan Bacon.

Cellular boosters are designed to improve coverage in buildings and vehicles by picking up the signal from the nearest cell tower and amplifying it at the same frequency. That gives the subscriber's regular cellphone a stronger signal to connect with. Carriers complain that the devices can degrade service for other subscribers if they are too powerful or reach beyond the owner's home or car.

In April, that might lead to regulations for the devices. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking involves possible amendments to a series of FCC rules that would pertain to the boosters. The original 45-day comment period was extended by a month and concluded this week. A 30-day period for responses to those comments is now beginning.

The proposal from Verizon and Wilson, along with wireless consulting firm V-Comm, calls for dividing the booster category into three classes. Consumer Boosters would be the sort of small, relatively simple devices that Wilson sells today. Certified Engineered and Operated (CEO) Boosters would be larger ones for campuses and offices, and Licensee Installed Boosters would be owned and operated by the carriers themselves.

For Consumer Boosters, which would be user-installable, the proposal lays out transmitter power limits, which Wilson's products already meet, Bacon said. The companies also proposed requiring that boosters be registered with the consumer's carrier. This would involve either buyers sending their names, addresses, booster model numbers and other information to the carrier or having their identifying information sent automatically through the cellphone, via Bluetooth. In that case, the booster would be recognized as an extension to the phone or other cellular device.