New Uses For Small Cell Poles in Smart Cities

Benefits of Small Cell Poles

This article checks in on new ways smart cities are using one of their basic infrastructure elements: small cell poles. Aside from illuminating cities, street lights are taking on a host of new roles as cities shift toward a better future.

Boosting Broadband Coverage

Some cities are upgrading their lighting to incorporate technology, like small cell poles, that expands cellular wireless coverage. For instance, in 2018, Huntington Beach, CA, initiated a plan to integrate antennas into lighting poles, bettering the city’s broadband capabilities. This is an example of a California outdoor LED lighting project delivering more than just light to a city, and similar projects can be found across the country.

Electric Car Charging

In the near future, the popularity of electric vehicles is only poised to go up. As more electric vehicles enter city and business fleets as well as residents’ personal garages, cities will need more charging stations. With planning, lighting infrastructure can also act as a mounting place for charging stations. Foresight is, of course, important: There will need to be ample room for charging cars by each station, for instance. But the payoff can be huge, potentially allowing cities to more easily switch to electric vehicles and draw businesses and residents who have already done the same.

Increasing Pedestrian Safety

Keeping residents safe is the most important task city planners have. Luckily, they have a new tool on their side in the form of smart lights. Installing new lights is not only an opportunity to illuminate once-dark areas; it is also a chance to incorporate features like motion sensors and alarm lights that alert cars and pedestrians of each other’s presence.

Environmental Monitoring

Another way to improve the health and safety of residents is by gathering data on a city’s environmental status. Air-quality warnings, for instance, can become easier to assess and dispense if lighting poles also have the ability to gather relevant data. Over a longer time span, such technology may be able to help cities assess their progress toward meeting emission-reduction goals.

Getting Started with Small Cell Poles

If you’re a project planner interested in the benefits of smart lighting technology, Great Basin Lighting can tell you more. We’re a lighting company with knowledge of CA and NV smart city poles, among other leading-edge infrastructural elements. Reaching us is easy, so we hope to hear from you soon! Contact GBL here anytime.