A booster system in a cellular phone base station comprises a plurality of power amplifiers, each of which configured to receive a signal provided by a corresponding transceiver unit that is coupled to said booster system. A hybrid combiner is coupled to the power amplifiers, and is configured to combine the signals generated by each of the power amplifiers. A VSWR sensor is configured to sense a voltage standing wave ratio at an output port of the booster system. Furthermore, a radio frequency relay is provided, which is configured to receive signals provided by the transceiver units. The radio frequency relay is triggered in response to an indication signal based on either a failure in the booster system or a failure in the signal path following the booster system.