State College wireless network to get boost

The Borough Council unanimously approved a proposal Monday that will allow the use of borough-owned streetlight poles to increase wireless infrastructure.

The proposal was originally brought before the council in November after Crown Castle International Corp. submitted an application to install wireless facilities within the borough. The 12 proposed antennas seek to boost the data capabilities of cellular users downtown.

“We’re looking to make an investment in your wireless network,” Crown Castle representative Paul Gilbert said, “and by doing so, installing what we call a ‘small-cell network.’ ”

The need for the small installations is driven by national trends, he said, as 40 percent of homes no longer have a dedicated landline and 70 percent of 911 calls are made by a wireless device.

What Crown Castle is seeing is an issue of capacity, he said. Traditional wireless could accommodate users who were only using voice and text, but now, more people rely on streaming services.

Small-cell networks supplement the traditional wireless network and provide for that fast data connection very close to where users need it, he said. The network is very focused and targets where a lot of people are going to be using a lot of data.

The proposal seeks to add 12 antennas throughout the borough on top of existing streetlight and utility poles, he said. Nine of the antennas will be downtown.

According to borough engineer Amy Kerner, through the use ordinance the borough will receive a base annual fee of $1,200 from Crown Castle. The borough will also receive $3,600 for the use of nine poles and another $4,500 in rent for using borough structures, bringing a total of $9,300 per year.

The network will support the four major cellular carriers, Gilbert said, but also welcomes additional networks as well.

Crown Castle has installed similar networks in Erie, Altoona and Johnstown, Gilbert said. Locally, an eight-antenna network was recently activated in Patton Township.

This story was originally published February 9, 2016 at 5:50 PM with the headline "State College wireless network to get boost."