More infrastructure, more data

If it is true that AI will be rolled out massively into every aspect of our lives, if network users adopt it and generate daily queries, most often while on the move, and in many cases accessing it alongside many others from the busiest areas of our cities, can we be sure that 4G and 5G networks will be able to guarantee such volumes of traffic with total ubiquity?

For years, people have heard that 5G technology represents a significant advance in mobile connectivity compared to previous generations, offering incredible speeds and lower latency. At Cellnex, as an infrastructure provider for operators, we can attest that networks are designed and implemented to offer the greatest capacity to customers. However, densely populated environments pose a unique engineering challenge. High concentrations of users and devices can overload networks, affecting service quality. In many cases, this high concentration is predictable, and operators bolster their networks accordingly. But are our cities ready for this revolution? Will it be easy for those of us who work to provide passive infrastructure for operators to access streetlights, tourist attractions, pergolas, bus shelters, advertising, and even building façades in a timely manner? Do our authorities realise that their residents and visitors will not be guaranteed optimal network coverage and performance without Small Cells?

We are no longer prepared to wait patiently when our phone or tablet fails to instantly display information on the screen. For the magic to happen, the signal must be able to get through to where we are, not to mention that we are probably not the only ones consuming mobile traffic. All of that is capillarity: for the radio link with the antenna to offer a sufficiently healthy balance to provide us the very high speed and very low latency that we expect. And believe me, at certain times, the “macro” stations located on the roofs of buildings will not be the solution… We will need closer antennas.

Small Cells are very low-power base stations, designed for concealed installation in areas with limited range. Small Cells can be installed, with quality aesthetic solutions, in all of the urban fixtures or on private property, such as any shop sign. They must have power and fibre optics connecting them to their respective networks, preferably with short distances. And here we have another design problem. It would be ideal if we could install them on a particular lamppost support in such and such a square. It would provide perfect coverage in the area where people gather every day… until you discover that you would have to run many metres of fibre optic cable and electrical wiring over a historic stone façade, for example. Even if the municipality involved were to allow such a thing, the cost would far exceed the benefit obtained. I am using this example to illustrate that we will need to install a great many of these antennas. Regulations have to be amended accordingly. How are we to request public assets; what priority conditions will apply to similar applications; who can apply; what aesthetic obligations will apply; what fees will apply? The telecommunications infrastructure ecosystem of 2025 is not the same as it was in 1998. An overly bureaucratic process will prevent networks from advancing at the speed those same administrations may be demanding.

European countries face these network quality challenges later than those in Asia or North America. And we also know that we generally have a stronger tradition of protecting historical heritage and we must not abandon our commitment to the proper maintenance of our urban heritage. However, our vision is realistic. People will continue to increase their mobile traffic consumption. It will be exponential when AI is generalised. And neither will remote working and dependence on telecommunications decrease – quite the opposite. We must find a reasonable regulatory framework that allows our engineers to design solutions that are useful for our customers – the mobile operators – while remaining cost-effective and compliant with regulations. This new need will not be properly resolved if we are not allowed to access public assets in an orderly and respectful manner. And it is with this vision that we respectfully call for collaboration with all municipalities so that our customers’ mobile networks continue to maintain the highest quality standards in the whole of Europe.

Alfonso Álvarez

CEO Cellnex Spain