The Two-Story Link5G Antenna on East Broadway

Photo: Henry Helmes
A phallic “smart pole” just landed on the Lower East Side.
Several readers point out the arrival of nascent Link5G hardware on the sidewalk outside Wu’s Wonton King on East Broadway. This unsightly technology is the successor to the thousands of LinkNYC kiosks that first started clogging the streetscape six years ago.
The alien-invoking antenna rises some twenty feet into the sky, and is an immediate eyesore.
The super-tall 5G transmitters add fifth-generation cellular network technology, in addition to existing features like free Wi-Fi, a 911 button and USB chargers. Multiple telecom companies are in talks to house their 5G equipment in compartments in the upper chambers of the poles, as well, according to a report in The City.

Photo: Henry Helmes