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| New York City's 5G Towers Remain Underutilized, Lacking Essential Equipment |
Despite being installed over two years ago, the majority of New York City's commissioned 5G towers still lack the necessary cell signal equipment. Out of nearly 200 Link5G towers erected by tech firm CityBridge since 2022, only two have been equipped with 5G technology, company officials report. Experts attribute the delay to cooling enthusiasm around 5G and reluctance from carriers like Verizon to utilize these towers for expanding their networks. Currently, CityBridge has an agreement with only one telecommunications carrier to provide high-speed internet, hindering its goal to improve mobile connectivity citywide.
These 32-foot-tall towers, resembling giant tampon applicators, offer similar services to the LinkNYC electronic billboards introduced in 2016, which were also installed by CityBridge. Both the original LinkNYC kiosks and the new 5G towers provide free limited-range Wi-Fi, charging outlets, and a tablet for accessing city services. Since 2016, data from CityBridge indicates that 16 million people have used the internet at these kiosks, with thousands using the tablets monthly to call for city services. However, unlike the LinkNYC kiosks, each new tower includes a 12-foot-tall cylindrical mesh chamber with five empty shelves intended for companies like Verizon and T-Mobile to install equipment to transmit high-speed 5G internet service.
This gap in equipment installation has stalled the intended benefits of these towers, leaving many low-income neighborhoods without the promised high-speed 5G access.
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