The way our world works and communicates today requires more video streaming, data processing, and real-time response than ever before. The data-intensive applications that people and businesses depend on are forcing cellular networks to deliver better performance: lower latency, faster speeds, better reliability, and greater capacity.
The next step in this technology evolution is 5G. Compared to previous versions of cellular networks, 5G supports a hyper-connected, mobile world. It makes innovations like interconnected infrastructure, telehealth services, predictive maintenance, hybrid learning, and immersive AI possible.
Because of what 5G networks deliver, they’re expected to carry nearly four-fifths of the world’s mobile data traffic by the end of this decade. In other words, 5G will soon support billions of connected devices and their real-time data.
Outdoor small cells are a critical part of making 5G networks functional, helping push performance out to the places where people and machines operate. While 5G equipment is ready for prime time, many 5G projects still stall. Why? Because the small cells that support coverage and capacity can be slow and expensive to power and deploy.
Enter Digital Electricity®: It makes powering and connecting outdoor small cells simpler and safer so that network operators, neutral hosts, and private owners can scale 5G rapidly and cost-effectively.
The Challenges of Deploying 5G Outdoor Small Cells
To provide consistent, high-quality experiences, 5G networks require lots of outdoor small cells to work alongside existing macro sites, especially to support connectivity along streets, across campuses, and in public spaces.
But the path to deploying small cells is often paved with barriers. Powering these radios en masse is much harder and more expensive than mounting hardware and plugging in devices.
How can hundreds or thousands of small cells be efficiently deployed in the real world? By rethinking the way they’re powered. Delivering Digital Electricity—a form of centralized, fault-managed power—safely over long distances using communications cabling can bypass the obstacles often associated with traditional 5G approaches.
The four common hurdles outlined below can slow coverage, drive up costs, and turn small cell rollouts into multi-year construction projects if they aren’t planned for and addressed from the start.
1. Outdoor Small Cell Deployment Is Too Expensive
For a single 5G network, several outdoor small cells are required (often hundreds or thousands, depending on coverage objectives and capacity targets). That means every decision is multiplied across each small cell; even modest cost overruns can quickly impact the budget.
Each small cell site (pole, streetlight, rooftop, etc.) also requires its own construction work, power run, and permitting cycle. With every deployment, costs stack up: deep trenching, new AC drops, individual meters, local backup hardware, etc.
On top of that, every site incurs its own set of fees, including permitting, inspections, traffic control, etc. Repeating those line items across a city- or campus-wide deployment can quickly balloon rollout costs.
Digital Electricity reduces deployment costs by centralizing power and reducing AC work at each site.
By delivering safe power from a central location out to many small cells over communications cabling, Digital Electricity reduces the number of utility services, meters, and deep trenches a 5G project needs. Fewer AC drops and less copper translate to lower material and construction costs.
With Digital Electricity, teams can standardize on a repeatable design and replicate it across corridors, campuses, and city blocks to cut down on engineering effort and reduce expensive one‑off configurations.
2. Running Power to Small Cells Is Too Complicated
On paper, powering a small cell site seems simple:
- Run electricity and backhaul to the site (pole)
- Mount the radio/small cell
- Turn the radio/small cell on
In practice, however, getting reliable power to dozens or hundreds of distributed locations is one of the hardest parts of an outdoor deployment. Traditional power distribution assumes a few centralized load points, not hundreds of small, scattered loads. For this reason, extending AC power to each node often means new utility services, longer cable runs, larger-gauge copper, and separating conduit from communications cabling.
In addition, each site may require:
- Coordination with the local utility
- New service drops
- Meter installs
- Adherence to strict electrical codes that govern power access
Because these cells sit at the edge of the 5G network and depend on long, exposed runs and localized protection, they’re also exposed to outages and fluctuations. To ensure resilience, additional layers like local UPS units, batteries, or other backup solutions at the pole or nearby are often needed. This adds complexity and creates recurring maintenance requirements.
Digital Electricity makes it simpler and more straightforward to power outdoor small cells.
It treats power similarly to data, sending it via “packets” and continuously monitoring the line for safe operation. If a fault is detected, the transmitter stops sending power within milliseconds to prevent hazards.
Instead of running AC power to every pole, a Digital Electricity transmitter cabinet can be placed in a convenient location to “feed” power to small cells from that single source. This simplifies utility coordination, reduces the number of meters and panels required, and avoids repetitive AC design work for each cell.
With Digital Electricity, power and data can share pathways, which simplifies design and reduces the amount of conduit required. Power can even be delivered in the same cable as data, eliminating the need for separate AC runs and simplifying cabling.
Because fewer UPS units and batteries are scattered across a location, less hardware is exposed to the elements, and fewer truck rolls are required to service individual poles for power issues.
3. There Are Too Many Vendors to Manage
Outdoor small cell deployments often involve a long list of players, including:
- Cabinet vendors
- Electrical contractors
- Fiber providers
- Radio/small cell OEMs
- Systems integrators
- Utilities
Each one brings its own timelines, standards, drawings, and approval processes to the project, making it difficult for network operators, neutral hosts, and private owners to keep 5G projects moving forward on time and on budget.
When responsibilities are fragmented, gaps and overlaps can appear more easily. Design changes from one vendor can impact others and lead to rework, change orders, and schedule slips.
Digital Electricity reduces the number of parties required to deploy outdoor small cells.
Its transmitter cabinets and receiver kits are designed to work together, reducing the number of vendors, drawings, and approval cycles tied to the power portion of a 5G project.
Because the same Digital Electricity architecture can be replicated across locations, integrators and contractors can standardize on a common design and bill of materials. This makes it easier to build repeatable designs with a smaller set of trusted partners instead of having to build out a new vendor mix for every deployment.
Because Digital Electricity can be installed by the same limited-energy contractors who install communications cabling, it can also reduce the number of vendors required onsite.
4. Sites Are Difficult and Dangerous to Access
Outdoor small cells don’t operate in controlled environments. They must be able to survive heat, cold, moisture, wind, and even vandalism since they’re mounted on poles or streetlights or installed along tight sidewalks. These remote locations can be challenging to reach safely and efficiently, making access difficult.
Once installed, site visits can be disruptive and expensive. Technicians may need to employ lane closures, use bucket trucks, or schedule overnight work to perform basic troubleshooting or upgrades.
Digital Electricity reduces how often hard‑to‑reach sites need to be accessed for power-related work.
Many issues that typically require a truck roll to a specific small cell can be diagnosed and addressed at the central cabinet or via remote monitoring, saving technicians time and ensuring their safety.
Because the receivers at each cell are smaller and purpose‑built, less complex power hardware is exposed at the edge, and fewer components need hands‑on involvement. If technicians need to access the site, Digital Electricity solutions are simple to troubleshoot and service, making site visits short.
A Better Way to Power 5G
As users demand more from 5G networks, more outdoor small cells will be needed in more places.
Digital Electricity offers a different path forward. It helps network operators, neutral hosts, and private owners overcome the cost, complexity, coordination, and access challenges that typically stall 5G projects. It’s the power foundation that will enable 5G deployments to scale quickly, safely, and in step with how the world really connects.
