The council hopes large phone masts could become redundant

Mini masts measuring 15cm would be fitted to lampposts, road signs and CCTV cameras under the council's plan.

It said the transmitters emit between 1,000 and one million times less radiation than a mobile phone.

The masts - which can be used by five different networks at once - will also be less unsightly than standard masts, the council said.

Planning requests for mobile phone masts are frequently controversial with local residents worried about alleged health risks.

This hi-tech project could lead to many existing masts becoming redundant, and some being removed altogether Councillor Dave Antrobus Liverpool City Council

"Government guidance means our decisions must be based purely on visual amenity and design, and not on grounds of possible health and safety implications," said planning committee chairman Councillor Lady Doreen Jones.

"That means applications for new masts can cause great controversy in communities.

"Hopefully, this new project will provide us with a solution to these problems, and help reduce conflict with local residents."

The council has teamed up with BT to work on the 'microconnect distributed antennas' project.

"With up to five mobile operators sharing a single antenna, we are hoping there will be a significant reduction in applications for individual phone masts," said Councillor Dave Antrobus.