“Tiki Torches” Bring 5G to Downtown Raleigh

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Suddenly, 25-foot “tiki torches” appeared all around downtown Raleigh and residents are asking why, reported WRAL-TV.

The new poles – courtesy of Crown Castle Fiber – adorning the downtown are actually small cells installed to enable better wireless 5G signals. Many residents and professionals working in the downtown are thrilled with the new addition. “Our office has dead patches, so we know what that’s like. That’s awesome,” said Judy Fields, whose office is in downtown Raleigh.

State lawmakers changed legislation in the summer of 2017 to make it easier for network providers to install small cell towers on public property. According to Rep. John Torbett, a sponsor of the legislation, “It’s going to be vital as transportation moves into a connected-vehicle status where cars are talking to cars and signals are talking to cars. We have to have 5G before we could ever adapt to that, and that’s coming faster than we ever expected it to.”

As far as whether the addition of a “tiki torch” pole across from the legislative building is aesthetically pleasing, Torbett commented, “It’s, well, I won’t say attractive, but it’s not as ugly as it could be.”

January 29, 2019

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