Traffic over cell phone networks has exploded lately thanks to modern "smart phones," especially the iPhone with its 3G Internet connection. As a result, Mountain View officials say, there are "dozens of new cell phone antennas going in all over the city."

According to city planner Eric Andersen, the installations include 19 new antennas -- for GPS, flat panel and microwave -- on the Google headquarters and on Google's Crittenden Lane campus. Because those buildings never had cell phone antennas before, the installations will be discussed by the city's Design Review Committee at 1 p.m. Thursday at City Hall.

The applicant for the antennas at Google is Clearwire Communications, which aims to launch a new 4G wireless broadband Internet connection soon that uses WiMax technology. Google reportedly owns 27 percent of Clearwire as part of a consortium of companies including Intel, Comcast, and majority owner Sprint.

Google also operates a free WiFi broadband network in Mountain View. Karl Garcia, the technical staffer at Google who runs the WiFi network, says cell phone networks have been overwhelmed by the iPhone and others like it, which use a data connection for surfing the Internet and downloading content.

Another site for new antennas is the tall office building at San Antonio shopping center, which "already has ton of antennas and we got applications for new ones," Anderson said. Because of the prior use of antennas there, those new applications don't require a public hearing.

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