February 2022

Using Streetlights to Boost 5G Deployments in Cities

The ultra-compact, fully integrated Ericsson Street Radio small cell can be deployed globally by plugging into existing streetlights that utilize a National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) standardized connector. And it is virtually unseen from street level. The device sits just above the streetlight shield next to the light itself allowing it to blend into the existing infrastructure. No long wires and big, bulky boxes – a true aesthetic improvement.

What We’ve Learned About Upload Bandwidth

Until the pandemic hit, I rarely thought about upload bandwidth. I mostly used upload bandwidth to send files to people, and I rarely cared if they received the files immediately – I was happy as long as files got sent. But the pandemic changed everything for millions of people.

A Brief History of Rural Broadband

The poor state of rural broadband can be traced to the ways that the big telcos reacted to industry changes. Small telcos built rural networks, but large telcos gobbled them up over time. The big rural telcos then neglected rural properties in reaction to the changing economics from the deregulation of long-distance and local telephone service. Small telcos showed that it wasn’t necessary to abandon rural properties, but the big telcos stopped making investments in rural networks and for all practical purposes walked away from rural communities.