As India’s appetite for high speed, reliable connectivity continues to grow, the country’s digital infrastructure is undergoing significant transformation to meet this surging demand. At the heart of this evolution are macrocells, large-scale base stations that provide wide area mobile coverage across all regions. While these macrocells form the backbone of India’s telecom network, they face limitations in capacity and signal penetration, particularly in densely populated areas and indoor environments. To bridge these gaps, small cells, distributed antenna system (DASs) and fibre have emerged as crucial complementary technologies. These solutions enhance network capacity and improve signal quality in high-traffic zones. Technically, these network elements form a unified ecosystem. Small cells and DASs on street furniture typically require access to power and high-speed connectivity to integrate with broader communications systems. Meanwhile, in areas where conventional installation is challenging, these connections often follow existing aerial or surface-level pathways. As a result, street furniture has become a critical enabler of digital infrastructure, offering a flexible and scalable platform to support evolving connectivity needs.

However, connectivity gaps persist, especially in challenging landscapes and underserved regions. Addressing these gaps requires coordinated investment, progressive regulation and cooperation among government bodies, telecom operators and infrastructure providers. The goal is to ensure that India’s network scales not only efficiently, but also in a resilient manner.

Before diving into the challenges, a look at the current scenario and the role of these technologies…

Small cells

Small cells are compact, low-power cellular radios that cover short distances, typically ranging from 10 to a few 100 meters. Small cells present a scalable and cost-effective solution for operators to boost capacity without incurring the high expenses associated with expanding macro towers. Rather than replacing macrocells, small cells complement them by offloading user traffic in crowded zones, alleviating congestion on the macro network and extending coverage to hard-to-reach locations. This approach is particularly valuable in India, where spectrum resources are limited and population density is high. In line with this, in May 2025, Reliance Jio began deploying self-manufactured small cells through its joint venture with Sanmina Corp.

Further, by mounting these small 4G and 5G base stations on existing street fixtures such as lamp posts, billboards and bus shelters, networks can provide high speed coverage in densely populated areas without the need for new towers. During 2024-25, major operators and tower companies have aggressively expanded small cell deployments across India. For example, Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) signed a contract in July 2024 to deploy 5,000 new 4G small cell sites using existing street infrastructure. Additionally, in the same month, Vi publicly announced plans to add approximately 26,000 new 4G sites and 22,000 new 5G sites by 2026. Digital infrastructure firms such as CloudExtel, backed by Macquarie and Vi, have also been instrumental in this growth. By mid-2024, CloudExtel was reportedly operating small cell equipment at around 6,000 locations, equivalent to about 15,000 to 16,000 small cells, spread across 500 cities. CloudExtel executives estimate that each major Indian telecom operator may ultimately require around 250,000 small cells to meet future 5G capacity demands, as the existing macro towers cannot support such network density. This makes small cells indispensable for the widespread adoption and success of 5G in India.

DAS

A DAS is a vital part of India’s telecom infrastructure, designed to improve wireless coverage and capacity in complex indoor settings and high-density urban zones. These systems reduce dropped calls, enhance indoor data speeds and offload traffic from outdoor macrocells and small cells, helping alleviate overall network congestion. By delivering consistent mobile connectivity across built environments, a DASs overcome physical barriers and supports high user volumes effectively. These systems are central to India’s broader goals around smart cities and digital inclusion, offering high-capacity, reliable connectivity across critical infrastructure.

Technically, a DAS consists of a network of remote antennaes connected via cables that evenly distribute cellular signals across a designated area. In India, DAS is increasingly being adopted in high-footfall locations such as airports, metro stations and transit hubs, serving as a complementary solution to outdoor small cells. For example, Frog Cellsat, a leading Indian RF equipment manufacturer, has deployed a 5G-ready DAS solution called OneDAS at Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport. The company has also secured a contract to install DAS at the new terminal of Guwahati airport. These systems provide full coverage across all major frequency bands and deliver data speeds exceeding 100 Mbps, even in crowded environments. Similar deployments are planned for metro networks and stadiums, often through public-private partnerships. Frog Cellsat also plans to expand DAS infrastructure across other transport terminals, event venues and urban centres to ensure uninterrupted connectivity.

Within the context of smart urban infrastructure, DAS can extend coverage to enclosed or shaded locations, such as under skywalks or inside large kiosks, by linking to nearby outdoor network equipment. Working in conjunction with small cells, DAS can ensure consistent and high quality mobile service throughout India’s increasingly complex urban environments.

Aerial fibre

Small cells and smart street devices require high-capacity backhaul, which is typically provided by optical fibre. Compared to underground cables, aerial fibre offers significantly shorter installation times and greater flexibility for future expansions or modifications, making network upgrades more agile and cost-effective. Moreover, due to the high costs and delays associated with obtaining right-of-way (RoW) permissions for laying underground fibre, telecom service providers in India often prefer aerial fibre deployment. Aerial fibre is commonly used at the secondary trunk level and below, particularly in areas with flat terrain and gentle undulations. It delivers unparalleled bandwidth capabilities, enabling faster data transmission speeds and greatly increased network capacity compared to traditional copper cables. This high bandwidth is crucial to support the massive data volumes generated by 5G applications such as high definition video streaming, virtual reality, augmented reality and internet of things (IoT) devices.

Companies have also been innovating in this domain. For instance, Sterlite Technologies Limited has designed, developed and deployed India’s first multi-core fibre cable, compatible with both aerial and underground networks. Meanwhile, infrastructure provider CloudExtel is aggressively investing in shared small cell and fibre networks, aiming for 50 per cent growth. Another notable example from 2024 is a pilot project in Bengaluru’s metro system, which tested the use of existing street furniture to simultaneously support 5G small cells and aerial fibre backhaul. This integrated approach–mounting radios and fibre on the same street pole–simplifies installation and reduces the need for disruptive road excavation, making network densification more efficient and less intrusive.

However, while the progress of these network complementors is strong, several barriers remain in scaling these deployments.

Challenges

Historically, inconsistent local regulations and RoW procedures have slowed network expansions. Different states would impose varying charges and permit processes, causing delays in approvals. To address this, the Department of Telecommunications introduced new RoW rules effective from January 2025, requiring all states to adopt uniform procedures. These rules cap permit fees and set strict timelines, explicitly supporting the installation of small cells on street furniture to accelerate 5G network densification. However, adapting legacy bylaws, deploying telecom equipment on street furniture and coordinating among numerous city agencies such as electricity, transport, police and heritage departments, remain significant hurdles. Until all digital portals and local regulations are fully harmonised, obtaining the necessary permissions can still be time-consuming.

Technical constraints add complexity to deployments. For example, many existing lamp posts were not originally designed to carry telecom equipment, which often require structural reinforcements to ensure safe and stable installation. Moreover, each network node needs reliable backup power, typically provided by DC batteries or uninterruptible power supply systems, to maintain service during outages. Additionally, harsh weather conditions such as heavy rain and extreme heat necessitate rugged, weatherproof equipment to keep the network running uninterrupted.

Meanwhile, in Tier II and III cities and rural areas, where smart infrastructure is still emerging, the challenge goes beyond deployment to prioritisation. Local administrations may not view small cells or DAS as critical infrastructure, leading to underinvestment or delays in roll-out. As a consequence, telecom equipment worth billions of rupees has reportedly been left unused, sitting in storage within village panchayat buildings.

The way forward

Looking ahead, the convergence of small cells, DAS and aerial fibre will play an increasingly vital role in India’s smart city transformation. As 5G adoption accelerates, networks will continue to densify rapidly, with operators and tower companies planning aggressive expansions. Alongside this growth, deeper integration with IoT devices and edge computing will become the norm. Smart street lights, traffic cameras, pollution sensors and public Wi-Fi routers will all leverage this shared infrastructure. Future smart poles may simultaneously host electric vehicle charging stations, surveillance cameras and edge computing servers. These interconnected systems will depend on this unified network backbone, enabling a more responsive, data-driven urban environment where street furniture becomes an active, dynamic component of India’s digital ecosystem.