The nation needs more spectrum and wireless infrastructure to support the data needs of 5G, according to Wireless Infrastructure Association President/CEO Jonathan Adelstein. “The massive growth in the number of connected devices will strain the capabilities of the infrastructure we have today,” he told members of the House Communications Subcommittee Thursday in a hearing on 5G. Others who testified included David Broecker, CEO of Indiana Biosciences Research Institute, Dr. Coleman Bazelon, Principal, The Brattle Group and Chris Pearson, President, 5G Americas.
“Supporting the demand for more infrastructure will require major investments. We need additional cell towers and poles and more antennas of all types and sizes that attach to structures of all sizes,” he testified.
And that infrastructure can take many forms. In addition to antennas on towers, poles and the sides or tops of buildings, new networks will rely on “street furniture.” Bus stops, manhole covers, park benches, mailboxes, the lights at a local high school or even a gazebo in a public park are all candidates to host cellular antennas, he told lawmakers, adding that policies need to recognize that all types of infrastructure are needed.
He urged Congress and the FCC to speed approvals of permits and applications so that companies can make needed 5G investments. Local governments too, need to recognize how crucial access to public rights-of-way to deploy antennas on existing structures will be as the industry moves into the next phase of wireless deployment, according to the executive.
And just like the tower industry, the wireless industry is also facing a skills gap that threatens to slow widespread deployment of 5G. “WIA is working to bridge the skills gap by bringing apprenticeships into the wireless industry for the first time,” Adelstein said. “WIA has also developed training programs. We’re encouraged that Congress and the administration are seeking new ways to partner with industry on job training and apprenticeship programs.”
WIA plans to take part in an event November 28, in Washington, D.C. with the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program, the FCC, the Department of Labor, OSHA and private industry to celebrate adding 1,000 apprenticeships to the wireless industry.
November 20, 2017
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