AT&T begins testing and deployment of discreet 5G radios on city street lamp posts

Image: AT&T

AT&T is testing new 5G small cell radios that can hide on top of street lamp posts. The new radios were born out of a partnership between AT&T, Ubicquia, and other companies.

It is virtually unseen from the street level, according to the AT&T VP of mobility access and architecture. The new radios can be put on street lamps within 15 minutes.

Anything that helps 5G blend in is a good thing since there is also ground furniture and being a target of vandals. The new small cell radios are not a replacement for the much faster but more visible mmWave antennas that can only cover a few city blocks. Since the new radios are powered by street lamps and connected to nearby fiber, it could reduce the need for more small cell towers in cities.

Image: Umar Shakir

Street lights have become pylons for modern technologies. By piggybacking off of existing infrastructure, technology like public wi-fi access points and security cameras can be holstered on the poles. Electric vehicle charging can be added to street lights.

It would be great to get more reliable 5G data connections in cities without the ugly boxes scattering city blocks. The small cells were being trialed by the company last year, but AT&T is only starting to use them.