Street lights in LA will be turning into cell towers

Though the new street lights set to hit Los Angeles look like nothing out of the ordinary, there’s more to these lights than meets the eye. Each one will host 4G LTE network radios in the form of what are called smart cells, which will make LA the first city in the world to deploy Philips’ SmartPole Street Lighting. A total of 100 fully-integrated poles will soon be located around the city.

Philips’ SmartLights are equipped with fully-integrated 4G LTE wireless telecommunication technology. Image source: Philips.

Because cellular data traffic is quickly growing, Philips is predicting it to increase to 900% by 2020 – meaning the infrastructure to handle it must grow, too. With street lights already being common in towns and cities, they provide a good basis for that infrastructure.

Philips developed the SmartPoles in partnership with Ericsson, which provides small cell technology for the 4G LTE output. Once set up in LA, they’ll be connected to a core network via a fiber link, and will work with any mobile operator. According to Philips, operators can rent space in the poles for installing radio and antenna gear to either densify their network or increase the data capacity of their networks in certain areas.

Though this is a first for the city, LA has previously paired up with Philips to make use of its technology. LA is also the first North American city to monitor and control its street lighting using Philips CityTouch, a software program for outdoor lighting that manages street lights and analyzes lighting data.

The SmartPoles in LA will help deliver 70% energy savings over traditional street lights. Image source: Philips.

“LA is a world leader in LED street lights and has more poles than any other city in America,” said LA’s mayor, Eric Garcetti. “We are now taking advantage of previously untapped real estate to give our streets better broadband connectivity and future-ready infrastructure, while generating revenue for the city.”

Not only will SmartPoles provide improved connectivity, but they will also help deliver 70% energy savings over traditional street lights, along with cost savings through improved monitoring and maintenance capabilities.

Currently three quarters of the SmartPoles in LA are scheduled to roll out within the next three to four months, with the remainder following shortly after.

Source: Philips