AVALON – Borough Council May 29 approved initiating a new bid process for telecommunication providers who want to place a small cell network antenna on a borough-owned tower.
The result of the placement would be an increased capacity for data transmission in the busy business district and surrounding streets.
The move to lease the space began when Verizon approached the borough earlier this year, asking to place antennas on the municipal radio tower, located next to Borough Hall. A necessary change in technical specifications led to a new bid process.
Verizon indicated that the antennas may be a temporary move as it and other carriers seek to develop plans for a distributed network of small cell area nodes across the borough. With 5G technology advancing quickly, putting in place the infrastructure to support it has become an industry priority.
