Urban Service Point (USP), a company founded in 2018 to transform the newsstand sector by providing a multiservice model, and Cellnex Telecom, the leading telecommunications infrastructure operator in Europe, have just signed an agreement to make newsstands part of the Small Cells network that the infrastructure operator is rolling out in cities with the goal of improving connectivity, especially in the most population-dense areas with a high demand for data consumption.
The first newsstand where these mini-antennas will be installed is located on Barcelona’s famous La Rambla. Both companies are planning to expand this rollout to other cities in Spain. USP currently has more than 300 newsstands in Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, and Granada.
Small Cells are small antennas which can be housed in all types of urban furniture (newsstands, bus shelters, lampposts, traffic lights, or shop signs) and blend in with their environs. Technologically speaking, that boost mobile networks’ capacity and coverage and will be crucial in the much-needed densification of the networks, especially with the rollout of technologies like 5G in large cities, to complement the traditional telecommunications towers located on building roofs.
5G connectivity is going to help transform the newsstand sector, which has witnessed a steep drop in activity since 2008. Cellnex thus joins the partner network of Urban Service Point, which was founded in 2018 to promote the feasibility of newsstands by transforming them into a network of service infrastructures.
In the opinion of Luis Sancho, director and co-founder of Urban Service Point (USP), newsstands are there to serve citizens and cities: “They cannot be thought of any other way. They’ve always been that way, and they should be the common denominator for all projects that aim to transform them. In this sense, we are very grateful for Cellnex’s commitment to the model of transforming the newsstand sector that we at Urban Service Point are spearheading. This agreement will position newsstands as a leading network in the rollout of Small Cells and help city halls work towards gaining Smart City capacities and provide citizens with an essential service.”
Jordi Sanchís, the director of Assets and Infrastructure at Cellnex Spain, adds: “We are very grateful to USP for its flexibility and cooperation. We will continue to develop similar alliances all over the country in our quest for solutions so that our customers, mobile operators, are able to densify mobile coverage in urban areas.”
The efficient rollout of state-of-the-art connectivity is essential in promoting technological innovation and accelerating inclusive economic growth.
