About Small Cell Wireless

New 5G Streetlights Come to Arlington

A 5G streetlight pole prototype as displayed in Courthouse.

Private vendors are deploying 5G antennas on such poles using the public right-of-way through County permitting.

Arlington has prepared its commercial corridors for the next generation of mobile broadband technology, which offers mobile download speeds up to 100 times faster than today. This infrastructure supports the County’s overall smart growth strategy within those corridors.

Small cell wireless telecommunications facilities (SWF) increase capacity to a wireless communication provider’s network in high-traffic areas. They are typically comprised of an antenna, enclosed or exposed, and associated wireless equipment.

Recent legislation provides for the installation of such facilities on existing structures in the public right-of-way per a locality’s permitting process.

Arlington County

• Notice to SWF applicants -- additional poles in Crystal City now available; temporary pause zone extended, August 2022
• Notice to SWF applicants regarding Pentagon City/Crystal City/Potomac Yard, updated March 2022
• Notice to applicants regarding residential zones and conformance to existing engineering standards, September 2021
• Notice to SWF applicants regarding Pentagon City/Crystal City/Potomac Yard, updated August 2021
• News release: “Arlington to Allow Small Cell Facilities on County-owned Streetlight Poles,” July 2019
• News release: “Paving the Way for Faster Mobile Speeds in Arlington,” June 2019
• Powerpoint presentation, June 2019
• Webinar: The Arrival of Small Cell Wireless in Arlington, April 2019
• Small Cell Facility in Right-of-Way permitting site

State and Federal

• Recent state legislation on zoning
• Letter from Rep. Peter DeFazio to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, April 2019
• Federal direction on 5G facilities deployment

General

• Municipal Action Plan – National League of Cities
• Video: CNN report, February 2019

Health Research on Cellular Radio Frequencies

• Food and Drug Administration
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Federal Communications Commission
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
• National Cancer Institute
• Federal Communications Commission
• Video: CNBC report, March 2019
• New York Times, “The 5G Health Hazard That Isn’t,” July 2019