The UK government has launched a £4m pound competition that will explore ways to make it easier for mobile operators to deploy 5G infrastructure on public street furniture such as lampposts and bus shelters.
In a press release, the government says “Street furniture and buildings can be used to host 5G network equipment more cheaply, quickly and with less visual impact compared with traditional phone masts. “
“However, network operators often find it difficult to acquire the information needed to verify that a structure is suitable, such as its location, physical dimensions, proximity to the street or access to a power source.”
The government hopes this competition will break down the barriers that make deploying 5G infrastructure on public assets difficult. This project is only the latest in a series of measures announced by the government aimed at speeding up the rollout of digital connectivity.
