AT&T Inc. said June 2 it will accelerate its deployment of small cells in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area in preparation for 5G wireless service in the wake of a new Minnesota law aimed at standardizing state rules and regulations surrounding small cell deployment.

Like a similar law passed in Iowa, the Minnesota bill limits the size of small cells to no more than 6 cubic feet. Any wireless equipment associated with the facility cumulatively cannot be more than 28 cubic feet.

AT&T said it intends to add capacity to various existing macro sites and to submit applications for city permits for small cells in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn. The industry expects that hundreds of thousands of small cells will need to be deployed nationwide as wireless operators move toward next-generation 5G network technology.