Smart cities represent the next phase of urban living, equipped with advanced technologies designed to enhance convenience, safety and the overall quality of life. Among critical components of these smart cities is “street furniture”, which plays a vital role in this innovative urban ecosystem.
The Telecommunications Act, 2023 defines street furniture as any post or pole used for electricity, street light, traffic light, traffic sign and utility pole available to the public. It further defines small cells as low-powered cellular radio access nodes that have a coverage range of 10 metres to almost 2 kilometres.
Smart poles – an integral component of street furniture
A smart pole is essentially a simple light pole, equipped with intelligent LED lighting, a camera, an electric vehicle (EV) charging system and high speed internet connectivity. Smart poles represent a cost-efficient, scalable and modular framework for deploying the whole spectrum of smart urban infrastructure, including 5G small cells, Wi-Fi hotspots, surveillance and traffic cameras, signage and information displays, air quality and flood monitoring solutions, charging points for two to four wheel vehicles and drones, and renewable energy generation.
Smart poles play a crucial role in the development of smart cities by collecting essential data that enhances urban planning and services. Telecom service providers across the globe are utilising smart poles to install more radio equipment and associated infrastructure to enhance their 5G coverage. This way of using street furniture eliminates the need for greenfield towers or poles for small cells, thereby bringing down capital expenditure and the time involved for rolling out 5G networks and services. Therefore, modernising street furniture such as smart poles is the most economically feasible and sustainable way to increase the densification of 5G networks.
Compared to traditional macro cells used in technologies such as 4G, small cells provide several advantages, including stronger cellular coverage, lower latency and reduced deployment costs. Their compact design allows for installation on existing public infrastructure, which eliminates the need for new towers and additional infrastructure. Even in areas where coverage is not a primary concern, small cells can help reduce traffic from macro cells, as they have limited data capacity and smart poles play a crucial role in making this effortless.
To maintain seamless 5G communication, these low-power cellular access nodes must be strategically placed throughout densely populated urban areas. The integration of small cells into the network is foundational for the effective functioning of 5G technology, ensuring that users experience reliable connections and high data speeds.
Global scenario
The integration of wireless access points into existing urban structures is not new, but its adoption has increased in recent times. In March 2024, BT and Global announced a decade-long partnership to modernise the UK’s payphones and introduce digital hubs in over 200 towns and cities. The deal includes converting up to 2,000 traditional payphones into new street hubs and managing advertising for BT’s existing 959 street hubs. Global will also handle BT’s street furniture advertising sales, while BT will maintain mobile and Wi-Fi connectivity for these units.
Similarly, Virgin Media O2 has successfully conducted trials of innovative smart poles that integrate 4G and 5G mobile cells with the existing fibre network to enhance mobile coverage across the UK. These compact poles can be installed quickly and do not require planning permission. With around 25,000 street cabinets already in place, which provide power and backhaul connectivity, the firm is well positioned to deploy these smart poles widely. This initiative not only boosts mobile capacity in urban areas but also supports the development of a more connected and efficient urban environment.
According to a report by ABI Research, global investments in smart pole and smart corridor technologies are expected to surge significantly, with over $132 billion projected by 2030 and more than 10.8 million smart poles expected to be installed worldwide. Key deployments include Seoul, Los Angeles, Munich and Leuven, with notable European initiatives such as the EU’s Humble Lamppost Project. The UK had seen Telensa’s smart street light controls installed for 64,000 LED lights, while Budapest has launched a smart pole pilot featuring various functions including EV charging and environmental sensors. In the Asia-Pacific region, the smart pole market is expected to grow at a 20.3 per cent CAGR during the forecast period of 2021 to 2027, buoyed by Signify’s installation of LED street lighting and smart poles in Huanggang City, China, offering advanced, energy-efficient lighting and cloud-based communications. In Germany, conventional street lights have been replaced by smart poles designed to seamlessly blend into urban environments, while supporting advanced connectivity. Additionally, Nokia’s collaboration with ClearWorld has led to the distribution of smart poles across the US cities and military bases, supporting a range of applications such as video analytics, Wi-Fi, gunshot detection, smart lighting and licence plate reading.
Indian scenario
The Indian smart pole market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.24 per cent between 2019 and 2027, and reach a valuation of $2.65 billion by 2027. Currently, the development of smart cities is one of the key drivers of the Indian smart pole market. The installation of poles itself can generate savings of over 10-20 per cent, in comparison to regular lighting poles.
The government has initiated several measures to promote the use of smart poles for deploying small cells and aerial fibre. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has formed a committee to assess the availability and strength of street furniture, such as electricity poles, and ensure their suitability for 5G networks.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had released a Consultation Paper in March 2022 titled “Use of Street Furniture for Small Cell and Aerial Fibre Deployment,” asking for stakeholder input on deploying outdoor small cells and aerial fibre using street furniture for next-generation networks.
To assess the feasibility of street furniture for small cell and aerial fibre deployment, TRAI has conducted pilots at the Bhopal Smart City, the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, Deendayal port in Kandla and Namma Metro in Bengaluru. Based on these pilots, TRAI recommended that all central government entities allocate dedicated spaces in their buildings for digital connectivity infrastructure, including small and macro cells. They also suggested that DoT should update the Gati Shakti Sanchar portal to allow bulk applications for all categories of small cells.
Consequently, in 2024, a pilot project was conducted at Bengaluru’s metro stations for the proposed deployment of 5G small cells and aerial fibre nationwide using existing street furniture. The study aimed at identifying operational challenges and developing a regulatory and policy framework to facilitate cooperation between metro authorities and telecom companies for successful 5G deployment in metro environments.
Additionally, several state governments have begun tracking the use of street furniture to facilitate 5G roll-out in India, monitoring sites such as electric poles, traffic lights, bus terminals, bus shelters and government buildings.
Challenges and the way forward
While using street furniture for small cell installation is beneficial, several issues need to be addressed for optimal resource utilisation. Since street furniture falls under the jurisdiction of various public and private authorities, a fast and cost-effective right-of-way (RoW) process is essential to ensure timely permissions for telecom infrastructure companies. Street furniture must be equipped to handle power infrastructure, antennas and cabling. Administrative authorities must ensure the availability of electricity and backhaul facilities at designated sites. Collaboration between city authorities and telecom companies is crucial for designing street furniture suitable for small cell deployments. Additionally, the lack of guidelines for design requirements and standards for small cells needs to be addressed to ensure performance, safety and aesthetics, which would lead to time and cost savings.
To move forward with small cell deployment using street furniture, it is essential to streamline the RoW process to ensure quick and cost-effective permissions from various public and private authorities. Authorities should equip street furniture with the necessary power infrastructure and backhaul facilities to support small cells. Collaboration between city planners and telecom companies is crucial for designing new and retrofitting existing street furniture to accommodate these technologies. Establishing clear guidelines and standards for the design, performance, safety and aesthetics of small cells will address the fragmented equipment ecosystem, facilitating more efficient and widespread deployment.
