So if you live in the City and County of Denver, you may be seeing green, 30-foot-tall, wide-based towers sprouting in your neighborhood. They are definitely unlovable. And they will certainly replicate during the coming months.
This is the 5G roll-out of cell towers. As I drive through my neighborhood, I see them popping up. As someone who has limited knowledge of just about any technology, I still know that the march of progress will not be impeded.
In a story this week in Westword, reporter Sara Fleming explains why we seem to need so many of these poles, whether they are on their own (sort of 2001-ish monolith) or the mechanical technology that can be attached to an existing pole. The image above is from the Westword story, provided by Denver Public Works.
“5G network signals have a higher capacity but a shorter range. To make 5G possible, ‘small cells’ will have to be placed every few hundred feet. Many of the small cells that make these super-fast Internet speeds possible are being installed in the large green poles, called City Poles. Others are being attached to existing street infrastructure such as traffic lights and street lamps owned by Xcel Energy.”
A couple of months ago, I bought a new cell phone because the other one was failing (as in planned obsolescence). My new phone turned out to be a 5G phone – so now I’m ready for the future.
Below are links to the Westword story this week, and another story earlier this year. There are a couple of Denver Post stories, and a 2-year-old Denverite story, which now seems nostalgic. There also are links that lead to information on the city’s website and to a map that shows how you can find your nearest tower. The roll-out is still happening, as you would imagine.
Get ready for 500 new 30-foot-tall cell poles around Denver’s neighborhoods
https://www.denverpost.com/2019/10/04/denver-5g-wireless-technology/
https://denverite.com/2017/11/01/denver-cell-poles/
https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/right-of-way-services/permits/small-cell.html
Chandler in Denver 