Cities urged to be active partners in 5G deployment

Municipal leaders should position cities as more than 5G testing grounds and take an active role in shaping rollouts, according to a new report from Guidehouse Insights (formerly Navigant Research).

This approach is essential if cities are to capitalise on 5G-enabled benefits while advancing priorities such as digital inclusion, decarbonisation, resilience and adaptability, Eric Woods, research director, Guidehouse Insights, told Cities Today.

City leaders also need a prominent seat at the table due to their central role in responding to local concerns about the aesthetic implications of telecom infrastructure and addressing opposition based on health scares wrongly associated with electromagnetic radiation.

The 5G Will Create the Hyperconnected Smart City report recommends that cities take a “multi-dimensional approach” to 5G and consider the impact of the technology and their role in its development across areas such as the use of city assets, the transformation of services and economic development.

5G is more than just a set of new technologies and “makes the fully connected city a real possibility,” Woods commented, noting its potential to expand smart street lighting, waste management and environmental monitoring through IoT; to increase the effectiveness of digital twins with more data; and to improve traffic management, public safety and other critical applications thanks to real-time data collection, edge computing, AI and automated controls.

Partnerships

Successful smart city 5G deployments will depend on new partnerships among cities, carriers and technology providers.

“The challenge is reconciling the different objectives of telcos and cities,” Woods said. “Inevitably, telcos will look at the most commercially attractive applications, whereas city leaders are looking at the socio-economic benefits to the community.”

Telecom carriers and suppliers need to engage with cities to address issues of social and digital equity, the report finds, with cities citing concerns that 5G deployments may only support the most commercially attractive segments.

There has also been tension in some areas between telcos’ desire to use city assets to extend coverage and cities’ goal to maximise the value of those assets. The US, for example, has seen debate over small cell implementation, including whether the federal government can override local control to speed up deployment of wireless infrastructure.

“The attraction of maximising revenue from the use of city assets needs to be balanced against potential longer-term economic benefits from being at the forefront of 5G deployment,” Woods advised.

Combating misinformation

One shadow over 5G has been vocal opposition from a minority of citizens who are concerned about the health impacts of 5G, despite assurances from the World Health Organization, the International Commission on Non‐Ionizing Radiation Protection and other scientific bodies that the technology is safe. Telecom masts were recently set on fire in the UK after 5G was incorrectly linked with the spread of coronavirus.

Woods said in the course of researching the report he was surprised how often these issues were mentioned by cities, particularly so early in 5G’s deployment.

“Local officials should, of course, arm themselves with fact-based advice on the safety of 4G/5G networks,” he commented. “But health concerns can, it seems, only partly be addressed by using health and communication industry data so it is important to also engage with the public on the benefits of 4G/5G networks.”

He also urged cities to “take the pulse” of residents’ expectations regarding the aesthetic impact of these networks, noting that health issues are sometimes mixed with visual concerns.

“For example, there may be a role for integrated smart poles and new radio designs that reduce the aesthetic impact of new network infrastructure,” Woods said.