Installation of high-tech infrastructure means access to faster Internet for Little Rock residents, but the construction can mean ongoing projects throughout the city that can be difficult to track.
Across the United States, fiber-optic cables and devices are being installed in city poles and under streets as cellular utilities upgrade their networks to the next generation of cellular data, with 5G being the latest.
In Arkansas' capital city, that means residents have seen orange flags and street cuts, especially in the downtown area.
When utilities upgrade their infrastructure, the city's central business district is generally the first place they'll go, said Mark Jacobi, operations coordinator for Little Rock's Public Works Department. The area also generally has the oldest infrastructure, he added.
At least three cellular utilities are currently doing work in Little Rock, according to city traffic engineer Travis Herbner: AT&T, Verizon and a smaller company called Mobilitie.
Herbner handles permits dealing with small-cell wireless facilities, a type of infrastructure that usually takes the form of small antennas placed on existing infrastructure, including poles. He said AT&T has been installing the small-cell wireless facilities in some business areas and residential areas with a lot of cell usage. AT&T and the other companies are generally installing these facilities in the west, midtown, downtown and River Market areas.
Jacobi said permits for utilities installing infrastructure under streets are taken out all over the city and aren't just for cellular utilities -- local water, gas and electric utilities also do street cuts.
"There is a lot of work going on," Jacobi said. "Everyone wants utilities underground, but then every time they're placed underground, there's maintenance required."
It's unclear what technology the infrastructure that cellular companies are installing is for. Herbner said the work he oversees is for 4G fiber lines that have the capability to be upgraded to 5G. Little Rock has 4G; the wireless companies are "not really telling anyone if it's 5G or not," Herbner said. They typically keep the technology quiet to get an edge on competitors, he added.
In an email, a spokesman for Verizon said the company has not determined when the technology will be deployed in Little Rock.
"To keep up with the needs of our customers, we always have several projects taking place in any given city, including Little Rock, at any given time," wrote Jeannine Brew Braggs, Verizon's external communications manager.
A spokesman for AT&T said the company has not yet announced plans for any 5G cities in Arkansas but continues investing in its network across the state, including the deployment of small-cell wireless facilities in Little Rock and other cities.
At a city board meeting earlier this month, several city directors expressed concerns about an increase in construction in their wards.
"Apparently [cellular companies have] just moved into the city and they're everywhere," Vice Mayor B.J. Wyrick, who represents Ward 7, said. "The neighborhoods don't know anything about what's going on."
Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said he would huddle with the city attorney about making sure companies are doing work in a manner that doesn't create problems for residents.
"Many of the broadband, telecommunications companies are all moving toward 5G, so there's going to be a lot of construction work. I do believe that if and when the Sprint-T-Mobile merger completes or is approved federally ... they will begin to work toward 5G as well, so a lot of this could be happening," the mayor said from the dais.
Cellular companies updating infrastructure often use third-party contractors, so the source of problems, such as poorly done street cuts and disruptions to light structures, can be difficult to trace.
Herbner noted that a contractor doing installation work in Riverfront Park "wasn't respectful to the park."
"There's been a lot of disruptions down there, a lot of issues," city Parks Design Manager Leland Couch said, explaining that the work as been ongoing since last fall.
Jacobi advised that residents experiencing a specific construction-related problem make a 311 service request.
Metro on 03/25/2019