V-poles: for a more shampoo-able planet

I just discovered this invention by Douglas Coupland (yes, the author). It's called the V-pole. I assume the V stands for both "Vancouver" and "volt", as it is intended to replace utility poles in his home city of Vancouver.

Yet the V-pole is intended for worldwide consumption. Here is a quote from the promotional materials:

“You would never think of building a house or office tower without electricity — in the same way, you would never think of developing future cities without V-Poles"

What are V-poles? V-poles are an alternative to power lines, cell phone towers, street lights, and many other nodes of our current utility infrastructure, all bundled into a visually attractive pole (as he is also an artist). Here are a few pictures of the V-pole taken from the project website.

Notes:

* a more shampoo-able planet is a reference to his book "Shampoo Planet", published in 1992.

* each V-pole is enabled with lightRadio (wireless broadband) connectivity. lightRadio is a compact, scalable, and high-bandwidth WiFi transmission technology developed by Alcatel-Lucent.

* if you were wondering, the quote is a product of a novelist writing his own public relations materials.