It's no secret Callaway County's cellphone coverage can be patchy.
On the other hand, traditional cell towers take up a lot of space and are expensive to install. A company called ExteNet just won the Fulton City Council's approval to bring a new type of tower to town.
"The new generation of data and cell phones is kind of going away from the large cell tower," Fulton City Administrator Bill Johnson said. "What the ExteNet system is, it places small cell towers right on the top of utility poles."
Called a "Small Cell Antenna" or minicell, the system involves mounting an antenna on an existing utility pole, according to ExteNet materials provided to the council. Antennas are unobtrusive: 21 inches tall and 4 inches in diameter.
"That minicell communicates with the main cell tower, and it's going to have significant increase in cell coverage for phone and data," Johnson said. "It's going to allow for faster internet speeds and better call volumes."
ExteNet has its eyes on a pole on North Bluff Street, adjacent to Wendy's. Sprint will be the anchor tenant for the tower, ExteNet stated, though additional carriers can be added.
During the last City Council meeting, the council passed a resolution allowing ExteNet to lease the pole. The lease was based on one drafted by the city of Columbia, which recently got its first minicell, Johnson said.
"They're going up all over the state," he said. "I would anticipate several more of these going up over the next few years."
He said that while the city hasn't solicited the minicells, city leadership supports the idea.
"We are supportive of them because it'll improve cell coverage for our residents," he said.