Much of our newfangled existence relies on interconnected technology, but there’s an intricate web of equipment often going unnoticed that plays a vital role in enabling that reality. Alongside fiber optics, cell towers, also known as base stations, are an essential component to wireless communication networks. They facilitate data exchanges between different mobile devices — be it for texting, video chatting or web browsing.
These exchanges happen through antennas attached to each tower using radio frequency (RF) signals. The antennas transmit and receive these RF signals while another equipment piece (called the transceiver) converts the electrical signals to communication with mobile devices. Towers are placed strategically — with each tower covering a specific geographic area known as a cell — to form a cellular network.
As this deployment method has advanced in the advent of 5G technology, these antennas have become smaller and even less noticeable (referred to as small cells). These compact small cells can be installed on existing structures like streetlights, utility poles and the sides of buildings rather than on larger towers, providing connection in areas where fiber may be geographically challenging to deploy. This also allows for them to be more densely distributed for stronger network capacity and speeds in highly populated areas.
This move for miniaturization also plays a helpful role in the broadband development of rural and under-connected communities.
Individual towns and local ordinances help dictate the process and criteria for approving cell tower or small cell installations on non-tower locations, such as a building rooftop or the back of a billboard. For this reason, methods that are the least noticeable and the least invasive have better chances of being efficiently deployed and bringing coverage to those communities.
Beyond being just an end point for individual device connection, cell towers create a web of coverage that bridges mobile devices and broader telecom infrastructure (like fiber networks) that allow for communication across vast distances at exceptionally high speeds.