Hype about 5G-enabled technologies changing the world began long before 5G rollout: augmented reality would blur boundaries between physical and digital spaces, connected cars would end traffic jams, and our toasters would talk to our refrigerators about whatever toasters and refrigerators talk about. More than five years later, we’re still waiting for these predictions to come true.
In the meantime, our mobile networks are near a tipping point, and strengthening 5G infrastructure is the single most important action we can take to preserve the mobile digital services many of us take for granted while boosting connectivity for millions of New Yorkers.
Just last year, U.S. cellphone users reported they had problems 11 out of every 100 times when they tried to use data, text, or make a call. That’s an increase from 2020 to 2021, when users reported about nine problems per 100 connections.
In a global city as densely populated as New York, our network capacity is being choked by an exponentially growing demand for data and an explosion of internet-connected devices. In heavily crowded areas like Fifth Avenue or a concert in Prospect Park, rising cases of dropped calls and falling mobile data speeds frustrate New Yorkers and tourists alike.
As leaders in the tech industry, we know that a failure to invest in and deploy more modernized wireless infrastructure will force us into an endless game of catch-up to meet ballooning data demands. Ultimately, we risk a collapse in the digital connectivity upon which our modern lives depend.
We must move quickly to expand next-generation networks across our city to sustain the mobile digital services so many of us take for granted and pave the road for our tech industry to deliver on 5G’s promised and even unimaginable possibilities in the near and not-so-distant future. In the meantime, it’s unreasonable to expect 5G to bring about the next industrial revolution while New Yorkers still have trouble loading things as basic as email while on the go.
As crucial as 5G is for all of us, it is most important for the 11% of New Yorkers — approximately one million people — that depend solely on mobile data for broadband access at home. And for those for whom home service is simply unavailable or too expensive, fixed wireless access — 5G to the home — reduces the time and expense of connecting the unconnected.
A rapid proliferation of 5G-enabled infrastructure is necessary to help our city foster more equitable, connected, and modern communities. It’s also key to New York City’s status as a global smart city, where tech companies and startups can drive cutting-edge progress, create more 21st century jobs for union workers, and contribute to the overall health of our local economy.
We need fellow industry leaders — not to mention elected officials — to actively embrace and advocate for local pole-top and rooftop 5G radio deployments, public-private partnerships like Link5G, and even community-led mesh networks to reinforce the standard of reliable connectivity in all corners of the Big Apple; especially if we want to continue challenging Silicon Valley as the preeminent global tech center.
Installing broadband infrastructure in New York can be uniquely challenging, with aging conduits, difficulties in attaching fiber to utility poles, and scarcity of pole real estate. On any given city block, there’s little room for carriers to share existing poles to expand broadband access.
But Link5G smart poles offer a solution: with space for five carriers’ equipment in a single structure, Link5G minimizes the need to install several 5G small cell radios on multiple different pole tops within one concentrated area. The design reduces street clutter, increases bandwidth, and provides more reliable service, all while delivering free, high-speed public Wi-Fi, nationwide phone calling, device charging, maps, and connections to essential social services.
No one anticipated how 4G would transform our world — new business models like rideshare and delivery apps created thousands of jobs and reinvented the way we commute, shop, and eat in cities seemingly overnight. Suddenly, we streamed movies in airports and held video chats with our family while we sat in parks across the country from each other.
As 5G replaces 4G, it’s tempting to predict how it will reshape our day-to-day once again; but predictions are cheap, and pundits have never changed the world — it’s up to our innovators, technologists, startups, and entrepreneurs to uncover and harness 5G’s true capabilities.
Before we can give them that opportunity, we must first address that today’s digital technology still falls short of basic expectations.
Link5G and other equity-minded connectivity solutions are vital for future-proofing our telecommunications infrastructure, fostering more learning and economic growth, and keeping New York City competitive on the global stage while providing the platform for our thriving startup community to do what they do best: innovate.
Julie Samuels is the President and Executive Director of Tech:NYC, and Nick Colvin is the CEO of LinkNYC.
Julie Samuels , Nick Colvin , 2024-05-24 18:03:03
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