that's not a cellphone network that's a VHF/UHF radio repeater network. basically same idea as ham radio hilltop repeater stuff in the US, but built for private purposes, and using COTS radios capable of basic encryption.
Soldiers seized 167 antennas, more than 150 repeaters and thousands of cellphones and radios that operated on the system.
It sounds like it had both radio and cell bands if phones were able to use it.