Wireless Infrastructure Key to Economic Growth

BY JOE KLEM

CROWN CASTLE

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

We rely on mobile data and high-speed connections now more than ever. Smarter devices, faster data, and new technologies and applications have led to a dramatic shift in the way people consume information and businesses apply it, leading to a significant increase in data demand and usage.

Crown Castle is working to meet the ever-increasing demand for data and information across the country. Our infrastructure connects people, communities and businesses to essential data, technology, and wireless service, bringing information, ideas and innovations to the people and businesses that need them.

In the face of exponentially increasing demand for data and information, small cell solutions have become a popular way to complement existing wireless infrastructure, like towers, particularly in dense urban areas.

Small cell networks consist of small, low-power antennas that can be installed on utility poles, streetlights, or other existing infrastructure to increase network coverage and capacity.

I’m proud to work with communities throughout New York and in our own backyard to provide increased wireless connectivity through the deployment of small cell networks.

As a Queens resident, however, I can personally attest to a much larger impact: small cell solutions are crucial for spurring economic growth here and across the country.

As the most ethnically diverse borough and urban area in the world, Queens is at the epicenter of new developments that are leading to business growth and attracting new residents.

As more aspects of business can be conveniently conducted on wireless devices, from transactions and advertising on social media to communicating with employees and customers, network connectivity has become a vital resource throughout our borough.

Increased wireless connectivity also brings benefits to another valuable sector of the local economy: tourism. New York City is expected to have welcomed 61.8 million visitors in 2017, and about 12 million of these visitors are international.

With the average international tourist spending $2,000 during their trip and domestic tourists spending a quarter of that, they are an integral part of New York’s economy.

As home to John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports, Queens has welcomed a large share of the city’s international and domestic visitors over the years. Further, tourists are increasingly venturing into the outer boroughs, leading to a boom in the Queens hotel industry.

Now the second largest hotel market after Manhattan, tourists are bringing business to Queens and experiencing all we have to offer, including food, culture and entertainment.

Small cell solutions are well suited to address increased data demand to ensure tourists have the connectivity they rely on to navigate our neighborhoods, and even post their memories on social media in real time.

As we grow increasingly dependent on our smartphones, access to network connectivity has become crucial. It is essential for businesses, tourists and our residents; an indispensable backbone of the local economy.

Small cell solutions provide our borough with the infrastructure necessary to meet our wireless demand and support economic growth here in Queens.

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