Wireless Broadband-Equipped 'Smartpole' Streetlight Installed In Hollywood

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — City officials Thursday unveiled the nation's first-ever "smartpole" streetlight equipped with broadband technology, the first of what officials say will be hundreds of high-tech lights across Los Angeles.

The streetlight - which features energy-efficient LED lighting and 4G LTE wireless technology - was installed along the 6100 block of Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, according to Mayor Eric Garcetti's office.

In addition to providing energy-efficient lighting for safer, brighter streets, officials say the Philips' Smartpole will improve the wireless network for Angelenos in dense urban areas by providing broadband coverage to businesses, visitors, and citizens.

Utilizing new small cell technology from Ericsson, the poles will use "mobile and cloud-based technologies" to reduce maintenance costs by allowing SmartPoles to be remotely managed using Philips' CityTouch software.

An additional hundred streetlights are expected to be installed citywide over the next year, with 500 more poles expected to be added over four years.

L.A. is the first city to deploy the technology, which officials say could be critical in the event of emergencies to ensure smartphones can stay online when they're most needed.

The poles are also constructed to meet stronger earthquake standards outlined by Garcetti's office, according to officials.

"The analog light pole has evolved right here in Los Angeles," Garcetti said in a statement. "L.A. is a world leader in LED street lights and has more poles than any other city in America."

According to the mayor's office, the project is expected to fund itself with the "digital real estate" on top of city light poles, a move officials say will result in "no cost to taxpayers" and generate "hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue for the city."

It wasn't immediately clear whether the "digital real estate" would be used for advertisement space or some other revenue source.