by Nyshka Chandran | @NyshkaC, cnbc.com, 21 April 2015
Advances in wireless technology could see cell towers become a thing of the past, according to telecommunications experts.
"There's no reason why your cellphone isn't the cell tower of the future," Steve Papa, founder of Parallel Wireless, told CNBC on Tuesday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Founders Forum Smart Nation Singapore conference, Papa envisions a world where cities will be free of massive cell towers. Instead, mobile phones will be become part of the transmission network, resulting in a decrease in dropped calls, less interference and a fewer "black spots" – areas with patchy signals.
"We're just on the cusp of chips coming out where a $300 chip can power an entire cell tower. When you get that far, it's not that much further to a scenario where when you're finished with your cellphone, you can hang it on the wall and it adds to the cellular network," Papa said.
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