GSM trouble in borderland

In recent years Russian mobile phone operators have installed strong GSM transmitters close to the border with Norway. Good for all Russians visiting the Norwegian border town of Kirkenes and the surroundings, but headache for locals subscribing a Norwegian mobile company. The challenge is that all mobile phones turned on automatic search for roaming will switch to the company with strongest signals. So far – so good, but when the roaming costs for Norwegians on the Russian net are ten to twenty times more expensive, the problems starts. Secondly, a mobile can suddenly switch to the Russian net without the knowledge of the owner. Then the surprise comes when the bill arrives in the mailbox. Recently, the Norwegian mobile phone operator Telenor accepted to cover the extra costs for a local resident near the Norwegian border town of Kirkenes, the local Sør-Varanger Avis writes. A person subscribing a Norwegian mobile phone operator will be charged between 15 and 25 Norwegian kroner (2 to 3 Euro) per minute when the roaming switch to a Russian operator. The nearest Russian GSM transmitter is located at BorisGleb, only some few tens of metres from the Norwegian border. The signal from that transmitter is easy to find near the harbour area of Kirkenes where many Russian sailors stay onboard fishing vessels. For Russians subscribing to i.e. Megafon, those signals are welcomed since they are much cheaper than roaming through the Norwegian GSM network. Another challenge with the Russian GSM signals transmitting over the border is surveillance. All mobile phone conversations going via the Russian operators can in theory be tapped by the Russian FSB even if the phone is on Norwegian soil and the person subscribe to a Norwegian mobile provider.