Cell towers began popping up across the landscape in the mid-’90s. Now, as wireless
communications continue to evolve, “small cell” installations will proliferate on city
streets. The cause? Massive increases in mobile data demands and the need to densify
networks. Verizon representatives say industry projections are for a fivefold increase
in data demand by 2021.

Quoting from a city of Denver fact sheet, “To meet the demands for wireless data, carriers
have begun using new lower-powered antenna technology to ‘offload’ data traffic from the
larger cell towers. Each of these smaller antennas serves a much smaller area (1–2 blocks)
but with much higher data volumes. This type of wireless infrastructure is referred to as
‘Small Cell.’” The city expects hundreds, if not thousands, of these new installations in the
next few years. By contrast, Aurora anticipates the number of such facilities to number in
the dozens. The small cell equipment will initially meet current 4G (LTE) voice and data
demands but it may be modified with future 5G higher-speed equipment as technology changes.

https://frontporchne.com/article/small-cell-facilities-coming-soon-street-near/