Gov. Ned Lamont says he wants Connecticut to lead the region during the 5G network rollout by streamlining the approval process for cell sites on public property.

During a public meeting at the State Capitol Tuesday, major carriers asked lawmakers to cut through the red tape that keeps them from putting up more cell sites.

"Quite often…it'll take six months to a year to get any sort of an acknowledgement of a request," says John Emra, president of AT&T Connecticut.

One cell tower off the Merritt Parkway took 15 years to approve.

5G service could require hundreds of new receivers close to thousands of neighborhood backyards. However, Rachel Walsh, of New Canaan, says as long as they don’t “ruin the look of a neighborhood, I think it’s a great idea.”

The ultra-fast data speed of 5G promises to be 50 times faster than what's currently available.

Gov. Lamont says being first with 5G could mean thousands of tech jobs for the state, but the clock is ticking. New 5G phones could hit the market later this year.