Light Radio

I’m probably dating myself, but I actually owned one of the first cell phones, admit it, some of you remember… It came attached to a darn suitcase, and seemed to weigh about 5 pounds. I was pretty proud of it, and come to think of it, the reception was pretty good too! But look how far we’ve come…

As cell phones have become smaller and owning one is now almost compulsory, those unsightly antennas of steel topped by all the necessary transmitters and gizmos that we call cell towers have invaded practically every landscape known to man. So let us welcome Alcatel-Lucent’s lightRadio. Imagine if you will, much smaller antennas, some tiny enough to hold in your hand. A device like that could be placed anywhere, on lamp or utility poles on buildings, heck, anywhere with electrical and network connections. Seriously, a cell tower in a box!

If they can iron out a few details, it could upend the wireless industry and offer amazing service, fantastic voice and data transmissions with no dead spots, fewer dropped calls, and let’s face it, the end of those unsightly towers. Because the antennas will be so much smaller and can be put in so many more locations, the result is increased signal strength for us all, and who would object to something the size of a Rubiks cube “erected” somewhere near their home?

Alcatel-Lucent also thinks that their new lightRadio can cut both the financial and energy costs of operating a network by 50% or more, because it diminishes upkeep and maintenance costs, energy consumption and because more information can be transmitted at the same time. Gee, I wonder if those claims came to fruition we would actually have our phone bills cut in half. Wait a minute, I’m holding my breath.

Look for these lightRadios to show up sometime soon… you know, if you can find them.

Press Release