First small cell poles in downtown Sioux Falls to improve connectivity for the masses

Aug. 28, 2019

This paid piece is sponsored by SDN Communications.

Downtown Sioux Falls is on track to get its first small cell poles. Ten new light poles will double as small cell support structures and are expected to significantly enhance mobile connectivity in the area.

The city has approved Verizon’s plan to replace 10 of the roughly 2,000 light poles in the downtown area.

Visually, most people may not notice the change. The difference will be that in addition to lights, the new, 35-foot poles also will have telecommunications equipment mounted on them.

However, users will experience the difference first-hand. As the public consumes more data on mobile devices, carriers such as Verizon must expand their infrastructure.

You’re likely familiar with the turnout for performances at Levitt at the Falls, crowds at the annual Sidewalk Arts Festival and attendance at First Friday and other events at 8th& Railroad. Adding small cell poles near those busy areas and others will improve mobile services in the future by handling some of the electronic traffic.

From the small cells, signals are sent by underground fiber to the bigger, macro tower that serves the area.

Crews are installing the fiber to each pole location this week so SDN Communications can provide the online connectivity for Verizon. Then contractors will replace the physical poles and turn them over to the city.

“We’re all committed to bringing technology to Sioux Falls and helping citizens with it,” said Jerry Jongeling, the city’s light, power and traffic superintendent.

Verizon has been investing heavily in small cells in recent years to keep up with demand for its 4G LTE network. Small cell technology is not 5G but potentially lays the groundwork for what will be the next generation of communications technology. 5G is being designed globally to make wireless services faster, more reliable and more secure.

Verizon is in the process of rolling out 5G technology in 30 cities in the United States, including Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Sioux Falls would like to get 5G, too, of course. It’s not known when that might happen. But the small cell poles being added to the downtown area could help Verizon or other carriers deploy the new technology in the future.

“Someday, down the road, if they want to do 5G, they can just take down the old equipment, put on the new and turn it on,” Jongeling said.

To take advantage of 5G, users would need devices capable of handling the technology.

Meantime, the addition of small cells will improve services for users of existing technology.

“Obviously, there’s a need for more coverage downtown just due to fact that people are using more data on their cellphones,” said J.J. Anderson, a wholesale account executive at SDN. He’s a primary contact at SDN for wireless carriers that are expanding their services in the region.

There are a few small cell poles scattered around Sioux Falls already. There are some near The Empire Mall, W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds and SDN headquarters. Watch the video below to see how they’re installed.

SDN is assisting with small cell projects in other cities too. The company is involved in projects to add small cell poles in Madison and in Marshall, Minn. Madison is expected to get three poles; work is further along in Marshall where seven are now installed for Verizon.

Rapid City and Sioux City are among the cities in the region getting additional small cells in the future, Anderson said.

In 2018, SDN installed a dozen small cell poles in Brookings for Verizon, and five were installed in a campground near Sturgis. The prior year was even busier. In 2017, SDN put up 35 small cells in the region, including some in the Yankton and Aberdeen areas.

“Going forward, the small cell model is going to be more prevalent due to data usage and eventual coming of 5G,” Anderson said.

SDN Communications is a regional leader in providing broadband connectivity and cybersecurity services to businesses in communities such as Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Worthington, Minn., and the surrounding areas.

Keep reading about the development of small cells and the future of 5G in these related blogs from SDN Communications:

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First small cell poles in downtown Sioux Falls to improve connectivity for the masses

Downtown Sioux Falls is on track to get its first small cell poles. Ten new light poles will double as small cell support structures and are expected to significantly enhance mobile connectivity in the area.

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