Internet Access May Soon Improve in Downtown, Northwest Long Beach

By: Karen Robes Meeks

Long Beach could see faster and stronger internet coverage in the coming months, especially in neighborhoods where access is lacking.

Crown Castle, the Irvine-based wireless infrastructure provider that installed 19 small cell antennas along Shoreline Drive for a city pilot program, plans to put in 11 more antennas downtown and 52 more in the northwest part of the city, said Mark Guillen, a representative for Crown Castle.

“We’ve demonstrated to them that this technology will be able to benefit the city,” Guillen said, adding that the first series of small antenna deployments is expected to happen within the next six months.

It’s a major component of Long Beach’s strategy to expand its network from about 62 miles of city-owned optic fiber—used to connect city building and manages traffic signals at major intersections—to 110 miles.

Read more on the Press-Telegram