# Safe and Sustainable Design of Composite Smart Poles for Wireless Technologies
## 1 Introduction  
### Wireless Outdoor Platforms  
The application spectrum enabled by the fast 5G development is about to cover a multiplicity of wireless technologies and services. The selection of the frequencies for '5G' has been globally discussed and, in Europe, the focus is on the 3.6 GHz and 26 GHz bands. The Electronic Communications Committee 'ECC' conducted a survey already 2017 that suggested the bands of 24.25-27.5 GHz, 40.5-43.5 GHz and 66-76 GHz as the prioritized bands. The higher end of the radio frequency (RF) band range directly affects the radio configuration and energy usage. The needs for higher data rates and the available RF bands have led to the concepts of small cell networks, the necessary low latency, new business environment with the end to end networks [1; 2; 3] and the emphasis on costdistribution. Besides, new terms, such as Smart pole or Light pole, known as concepts for 5G-enabling poles (5 GPs) and heavier 5G gantries have been exhibited. Several demo designs or even demo sites with certain pole designs are built and running--yet many of them lack 5G operation or having a partial 5G operation. In few years, the number of 5 GPs proposals in public has increased from a few to number of designs. Yet, the overall 5 GP concept along with data management is still to be explored.  
The strategic importance of 5 GPs as a platform for 5G outdoor small cells finally stems from its costs and regulations applied. Because of the large number of required 5G base station sites, the cost of deployment and operation is high even for national mobile network operators (MNOs). A simple wholesale site contract on 5 GPs with the city council is lucrative compared to hand-picking and tailoring contracts for non-uniform sites on private buildings. This encourages MNOs toward 5 GP sharing for the high frequency deployments.  
On the other hand, the increasing pressure to unify and beautify the city antenna 'jungle' also supports the sharing of well-designed 5 GPs. Therefore, the national regulators may allow extending the monopolies of light pole and grid networks with another monopoly, a neutral host company operating the 5 GP pole system [4]. According to initial studies, the cost of the structural part (the pole shaft) is significant--between 15-25% of the total deployment cost. This cost share varies depending on the amount of electronics of various services per pole and on the density of fully configured 5G smart light poles [5]. Interestingly, the faster price erosion of electronics seems to gradually increase the relative value of the poles shafts. The 5G data pricing models tend to be even more complex since it is currently not clear who sells and what kind of products.  
Clearly, the modularity of devices plays a role in the prospective design of services per 5 GP site. The modularity is also a tool to handle the cost structure per type of site and at individual 5 GPs. The integration of a 5 GP requires connections to data, power and possibly cooling network of the city or suburb. The development of design tools combining the wireless network and city planning is essential and is a significant design phase in the future. A sophisticated smart pole, a 5 GP, can be considered as aesthetically fitted integrated structure, which embodies various devices including the radios within the main structure of the pole.