NSW Labor is considering introducing phone jammer technology in schools to enforce mobile phone bans and crack down on mobile phone use in schools. Shadow Education Minister Prue Car said the party is studying the emerging technology and hopes to use it to solve the problem of mobile phone use in schools. cell phone jammer

Current use of jammers
Phone jammers are already in use in two prisons in NSW, Lithgow and Goulburn. These devices can block mobile phones from ringing, texting and accessing social media. However, these devices will allow authorized calls, such as calls from teachers and administrators, and emergency calls from students with medical conditions. "We hope that through this emerging technology, students who need urgent technical support can use their mobile phones, while other students are prohibited from using social media in school," said NSW Labor leader Chris Minns.

Licensing and regulation of technology
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is the licensing body for phone jammer technology. ACMA has approved the use of phone jammers in two prisons in NSW to prevent prisoners from illegally using mobile phones. "In these cases, technology is used to stop prisoners from illegally using their phones," the ACMA said. However, the ACMA has not authorised or approved the use of such devices to block phones in schools. The ACMA also noted that any jamming technology used in schools could interfere with parts of the spectrum used by mobile operators for public mobile phone networks.

Current technical proposal assessment
Technology operator Educell is currently applying to the ACMA for the use of phone jamming technology. The ACMA said it has asked Educell to provide more technical specifications about its proposal and is assessing the information. The ACMA noted that any phone jamming technology used in schools must go through a rigorous approval process to ensure that it does not cause interference to the public mobile network.