Government Technology reported that Mobilitie LLC, representing Sprint, is installing small cell equipment on 67 poles largely concentrated in Honolulu’s urban core but also in Central Oahu, Leeward Oahu, and Laie.
The first company to ink a deal with Honolulu, Mobilitie agreed to pay the city between $167,500 and $268,000 per year to use the 67 poles, based on a licensing fee of $2,500 per pole in neighborhoods with lower population densities and $4,000 per pole in higher-density neighborhoods. The arrangement, which also includes a one-time permit fee of $500 per pole and a four percent annual licensing fee increase, is valid for five years and can be extended for two additional five-year terms, according to Government Technology.
Allen Kam, a Mobilitie representative, cited examples of the necessity for small cell equipment around the island, including that 64 percent of mobile data is video and that a 500 percent increase in mobile data use is expected from 2016 to 2021. “Small cells are a vital component to the overall telecommunications network as they increase capacity,” Kam noted.
Ross Sasamura, director of the city Department of Facility Maintenance, added that other parties, including AT&T, are interested. “The City and County of Honolulu is supportive of the deployment of small cell infrastructure on Oahu,” he said.
Some telecoms have concerns about the cost to expand into Hawaii. Wireless Policy Group LLC, representing AT&T, believes the city’s licensing fees are too high. “Honolulu’s proposed pricing would be a deterrent to the development of small cells in areas of Honolulu where network capacity is needed,” according to a letter from Ken Lyons of Wireless Policy.
“To meet the skyrocketing demand in residential areas, better serve businesses, and enhance public safety, carriers need viable options for siting new facilities in a way that will provide meaningful coverage and capacity and high-quality service,” the company’s letter said. “Small cell facilities can add much-needed capacity, and in some cases, coverage, to targeted areas with minimal impacts to the community.”
July 16, 2018
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