What are those strange poles popping up in Harrisburg? Updated Mar 05, 2021; Posted Mar 04, 2021 Verizon is installing 5G towers in the city. One has been placed at Chestnut and Front Streets. March 3, 2021 Sean Simmers |ssimmers@pennlive.com Facebook Share Dave Manns spotted it Wednesday and had no idea what it was. “At first, I thought it might have something to do with the sewer system,” he said, having noticed crews in the area, where that kind of work is often done. Other residents thought it might be a gunshot detector. It turns out, the pole and cylinder make a 5G cell tower. And it’s among the first dozen or so to spring up in Harrisburg. Eventually, there will be about 100 of them, according to the city engineer, and that’s just for one carrier: Verizon. If other companies transition to new technology to improve data speed, there could be many more in the future.