Although AT&T was an early flagwaver for small cells, its densification program has been one area that has gone more slowly than initially expected, the carrier’s CTO John Donovan told a recent conference (article HERE). However, the floodgates are now opening, and the main change is not about technology or even cost, but sites. Recent ‘fast shot clock’ initiatives at federal and local regulatory levels addressed this issue for the macro layer, speeding up cell site permits, and similar changes are needed for small cells, especially where these are deployed outdoors and involve city planning authorities. While the new cell tower rules may have postponed the need for aggressive densification by allowing US carriers to deploy large sites in new…