Tower Industry in Africa Expected to Double: Will US Companies Take Part?

In 2011, American Tower Corporation entered the South African tower market where they now own 1,621 towers. Chief Operating Officer of Helios Towers Africa, Kevin Koch, spoke at AfricaCom2013 in Cape Town last week and presented an optimistic outlook for the tower industry. According to Richard Cutcher of HumanIPO, “According to HTA figures, there are currently 150,000 towers in Africa of which only 15 per cent are owned by third-party companies such as HTA, Eaton Towers, ATC and IHS. Due to Africa’s rapidly rising and young population, Koch expects the total number of towers to double within five years, while the proportion of those owned by independent companies will double in one year.” American Tower Corporation focuses mainly on the North American tower industry, but is also expanding their international footprint. This may be the perfect time for them to grow their presence in the African region. HumanIPO reported earlier today Bharti Airtel is believed be in discussions over the sale of its 15,000 towers to a third party for US $1.8 billion, while Etisalat Nigeria is also thought to be in discussions over a US $400 million sell-off of its 2,500 towers.

Read more at InsideTowers.com.

CTI Towers, Inc. Secures $30 Million Debt Financing; Closes First Third-Party Tower Acquisition

Earlier this week, CTI Towers, Inc., announced that they had secured up to $30 million in debt financing and closed its first-part acquisitions, purchasing five towers from a major wireless carrier. CTI Towers, Inc., is a wireless tower operator with more than 800 towers throughout the U.S.

By acquiring these 5 towers, CTI Tower’s continues to grow outside the Comcast portfolio, where a large majority (230) towers came from. The company is looking to secure towers within regions with high-demand for wireless capacity.

“We remain committed to helping our customers meet deadlines for new cell sites and network deployment,” said Tony Peduto, Chief Executive Officer, CTI Towers. “We will continue to seek strategic acquisitions to fuel growth as the wireless industry responds to the demand for wireless broadband services.” 

CTI Towers has already had interest from the major carriers regarding equipment on the towers to bring their customers better service. The towers CTI Towers acquired are located in North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania. With the demand for mobile increasing dramatically, it’s becoming necessary to expand our wireless infrastructure to deal with these capacity demands.

 “As the personal computing device and smartphone industry took off, we recognized mobile network operators would eventually need to fortify their mobile networks to meet consumer demand for mobile Internet access at scale,” said David Zilberman, Venture Partner at Comcast Ventures and CTI Towers Board Chairman. “We’re excited to see CTI Towers grow its footprint and enhance its ability to deliver even more tower inventory across the country, helping all wireless carriers keep their networks in-stride with consumer demand.”

PCIA’s Tower CEO Roundtable Provided Great Insights Into The Industry

The tower industry is expanding quickly in order to keep up with the demand for mobile and broadband technology. Wednesday October 9^th the PCIA’s 2013 Wireless Infrastructure Show gathered the four CEO’s from the major tower companies in the United States. Benjamin Moreland was appointed President and CEO of Crown Castle International in July 2008. Jeffrey Stoops is President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of SBA Communications Corporation. He has been CEO since January 1, 2002. Steven Marshall was named Executive Vice President and President, U.S. Tower Division of American Tower in March 2009. Marc C. Ganzi was the Chief Executive Officer of Global Tower Partners.

These men came together to discuss their thoughts on the future of wireless and the state of the industry. John Adelstein, president of the PCIA, moderated the roundtable and started off asking American Tower’s CEO about their acquirement of Global Tower Partners. “We are absolutely delighted. We are very pleased. They have really great assets and when you combing those with American Tower’s assets we have over 50,000 communications sites,” Marshall said. “We welcome the many members of the team from across the nation to the American Tower team.”

With American Tower’s acquisition of Global Tower Partner’s, Marc Ganzi referred to his current position as “unemployed.” However, Ganzi noted that they have a portfolio of towers in Mexico that they need to get back to work on by building up and buying assets. “Mexico is a market that is growing and it’s a market with a lot of promise,” Ganzi said.

Having all of these CEO’s gathered at the same convention allowed Adelstein to ask them about their opinions regarding the efforts of the PCIA and whether or not they are making a difference in the industry. PCIA has a dedicated Government Relations staff that represents our members' interests at all levels of government by educating key policy-makers about the critical role wireless infrastructure plays in our nation's communications network.

Ganzi remarked that, “It’s no longer NIMBY (Not in My Backyard), it’s YIMBY (Yes in My Backyard). People are now saying, ‘I work at home and I need to be connected.’ It’s part of the fabric of how we connect to our families and I think that’s been a mind shift at the local level. We exist to help accelerate the build out and reduce cost. To me, that’s why we worked hard on the hill to get that legislation passed.”

Jeff Stoops of SBA Communications believes that, “On the federal side we’re in pretty good shape. On the state side, there’s always room to improve.”

PCIA and other wireless organizations have been working hard to decrease barriers that make it difficult for the wireless infrastructure to be built. Their efforts are starting to pay off with the federal government restriction the reasons state and local governments can give to veto a tower proposal. 

1 Source Wireless Expands Into Midwest Enhancing Southeast Regional Operations

Today 1 Source Wireless announced their successful execution of its expansion into the Midwest. This completion has exceeded 1 Source Wirelesss’ initial projections, easily securing them a $5 million financial capital commitment based on proposed future build-out expansions through 2015. This expansion has greatly enhanced the southeast regional operations, giving top management belief that this development strategy will be replicated in other U.S. markets in the near future.

1 Source Wireless specializes in the development of wireless tower communication facilities. They have participated in the development of over 350 tower sites nation-wide over the past 15 years. Some of their services include: site identification, site acquisition, regulatory and compliance, planning and zoning, architectural and engineering, maintenance and repairs, as well as construction. 

Spokane Valley Cell Tower Theft Will Cost Company $17,500

Copper wiring is being stolen from cell phone towers in many cities so the thieves can sell the copper for profit.  Recently, someone stole the copper wire from a Spokane Valley cell tower that will cost the business $17,500 to replace. As of 1:45pm EST today, the price of copper per lb. was  $3.2975.

“An employee of the company, which houses equipment for AT&T, Nextel and Cricket, alerted sheriff’s deputies Tuesday to a burglary occurring sometime during the last two weeks,” according to The Spokesman-Review.

Copper wiring was also taken from the ground and the building itself. A grounding bar used to protect workers and equipment from high voltage, stamped with a “Do Not Recycle” notice, was also stolen.

Maryland Public School Posts Cell Phone Tower Fact Sheet

The sheet comes after recent discussions surrounding a cell phone tower at Piney Orchard Elementary School. To download a PDF of this fact sheet, please click here. 

Fact sheet on cell towers and Anne Arundel County Public Schools (Credit: AACPS)

Tower Upgrade is to Blame for Dropped Calls in Minnesota

If you’re having calls drop right and left in the Minneapolis area, Sprint says it’s due to upgrades on a cell tower. Sprint customer, Everett Contois, has had hundreds of dropped calls over the past month. While poor cell reception is always frustrating, it can have negative effects on your day-to-day life if it’s your only line of communication. Many Americans are getting rid of their landlines and using their cell phones exclusively.

Sprint spokesperson Stephanie Vinge Walsh says the company is launching a new wireless network called Network Vision and the upgrades to the tower is what’s causing the problem with cell reception. "Ultimately we expect to see a vastly improved network. As we deploy this all new 3G and 4G network, there are some disruptions taking place. We understand it's frustrating for our customers, we thank them for their patience," said Vinge Walsh. (Source: KARE11.com)

Even though Sprint is working to fix this problem, many of their customers are frustrated that they are unable to make phone calls whether professional or personal. Residents have even contacted the Minnesota Attorney General regarding this problem. The Minnesota Attorney General is looking into the complaints and encourages customers to file a complaint here: http://www.ag.state.mn.us/Consumer/Complaint.asp  or with the FCC:  http://www.fcc.gov/complaints.

Alabama City Considers Building Own Cell Tower To Improve Service

The city of Orange Beach, Alabama is considering constructing a cell phone tower to improve the cell service in the nearby area. The city’s telecommunications committee is working on a tower-sitting ordinance.

“There is an increasing demand for cell towers because as I understand it the faster speeds mean that the footprint that is covered is smaller so in order for our residents to continue to get the best of the best there will have to be more towers,” Councilman Al Bradley said. “If there’s going to be a tower, which there will be, we’re recommending -- and really to just give you a heads up -- that the city construct and own a tower.” (Source: AL.com)

The cost to the city to construct a tower will be around $300,000 to $350,000, but the city consider this a wise investment since the demand for cell phone service is only increasing. The city will also be gaining revenue from the tower that will benefit the police, fire, and other emergency communications. 

American Tower Agrees To Acquire Global Tower Partners for $4.8B

Today American Tower Corporation announced that they have entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of the outstanding common membership interest of MIP Tower Holdings, LLC, which is a private real estate investment trust and the parent company of Global Tower Partners. The purchase price was approximately $.4.8 billion. The purchase price is expected to be paid with approximately $3.3 billion in cash and approximately $1.5 billion of existing indebtness.

GTP owns and operates approximately 5,400 domestic towers, 800 domestic property interests under third-party communications sites, and has management rights to over 9,000 domestic sites, which are primarily rooftop assets. In addition, GTP owns 500 communications sites in Costa Rica.

Jim Taiclet, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of American Tower, said: “GTP has constructed and acquired an outstanding U.S. portfolio of tower, rooftop and land assets, which is highly complementary to that of American Tower. Moreover, GTP’s management of these assets has been excellent, as confirmed through our rigorous due diligence process. GTP’s towers boast a high quality customer base, a strong position with respect to ground ownership and lease terms, and additional structural capacity available to facilitate future leasing activity.

With all four major domestic wireless carriers engaged in aggressive multi-year 4G LTE deployments, we believe our acquisition of GTP solidifies our path to achieving our strategic goals related to growing our AFFO over the next five years.”

American Tower Corporation expects to close this transaction by the fourth quarter of 2013. The company believes that by acquiring high quality assets with strong existing cash flows there will be significant opportunity for future growth. The strong leasing momentum is expected to continue at a steady pace due to the data demand growth and the 4G LTE deployments.

                                                                                                                                           

AT&T’s 4G LTE is Now Available in 16 Additional Cities

AT&T has been working hard to deliver 4G LTE capabilities to their customers around the country. They have enhanced their network coverage in the following cities just recently:

Columbus, MS

Yazoo City, MS

Alexandria, LA

Morehead City, NC

Rolla, MO

Vidalia, GA

Morristown, TN

Sussex County, NJ

Greenville, NC

Albemarle, NC

Logan, UT

Waycross, GA

Sandusky, OH

Abilene, TX

Murray, KY

Sacramento, CA

This expansion is part of AT&T's Project Velocity IP (VIP), a three-year investment plan announced last fall to expand and enhance its IP broadband networks. Through this investment, AT&T is supporting its customers' growing desire for high-speed Internet access and new mobile, app and cloud-based services. As part of Project VIP, AT&T plans to add more than 10,000 macro cell sites nationwide by year-end 2015, as well as deploy more than 40,000 small cells and add more than 1,000 Distributed Antenna Systems to increase the density of its wireless network. (Source: AT&T)

Will Wyoming Extend Cell Tower Moratorium?

Today the Teton County commissioner will decide whether or not to continue a month’s long moratorium on new cell phone towers in Wyoming. By continuing this suspension on cell towers, the county will be able to take their time in writing new regulations. The county has hired a consultant to work with to draft the regulations.

“Our goal is to make this a very strict and limited timeline that we’re going to have to deliver on,” said Teton County Commission Chairman Paul Vogelheim. “This is something we can do in 90 to 100 days.” (Source: jhnewsandguide.com)

The cell tower freeze was implemented two weeks ago when the county started discussing the possibility of a 110-foot tower being placed on the hill above Swinging Bridge. This moratorium sparked AT&T’s Cheryl Riley to write to the county reminding them that federal law, “states that state and local ‘regulation of the placement, construction and modification of personal wireless service facilities ... shall not prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting the provision of personal wireless services.’”

Even though Teton County can put a temporary freeze in place, the Federal Communications Act of 1996 restricts county and municipal governments from blocking cell phone companies’ plans to build their networks and provide adequate service to their customers. 

Verizon Wireless Boosts Cell Capacity For Labor Day Weekend

Last Labor Day weekend, Verizon Wireless’ network was unable to handle the amount of voice calls, texts, and video traffic during the weekend’s concerts. This year, Verizon took steps in order to avoid this problem. They boosted cell capacity by more than 20% for the 2013 Made in America event on the Ben Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia on Saturday and Sunday.

There will be nearly 30 acts performing across three stages on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for the two-day music festival. This year’s lineup is incredible, with highly-anticipated performances from Beyoncé, Nine Inch Nails, Public Enemy, Emilee Sandé, Solange and more.

"The wireless company added a fifth permanent cell site in the Parkway area and will park a temporary cell tower in a truck with a diesel generator nearby. The temporary cell tower is expected to be operational Thursday and its location has been approved by the city,” according to Philly.com.

Sprint On Schedule To Shut Down Part of Former U.S. Cellular Network by October 31st

Sprint announced today that they were on track to shut down sections of the U.S. Cellular network that they previously acquired. U.S. Cellular customers in St. Louis and the surrounding area who have not switched their service over to Sprint or another carrier in the area will be affected by this transition. 

“Sprint began sending letters to affected customers in June to notify them of the company’s plans. To avoid an interruption of their wireless service, affected customers in the St. Louis area need to move their service to Sprint or another carrier before the network is shut down on Oct. 31,” Sprint explained in a press release.

Customers will be able to move their existing phone numbers from U.S. Cellular to Sprint or another carrier if they contact Sprint or the other carrier before the shutdown to take place on October 1^st.

Registration is Open for HetNet Express 2013

The HetNet Express Pre-Conference Workshop will be held on October 7^th from noon to 6pm at the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, Florida. This conference will explain how DAS and other small cells can bring wireless coverage and capacity to your venue.

“Building upon our successful DAS in Action events, the HetNet Forum (formerly The DAS Forum) will gather industry leaders in DAS and small cell build-outs for a day of educational programming and networking opportunities,” the HetNet Forum explained in their release.

This pre-conference workshop held in advance of the Wireless Infrastructure Show will provide ample opportunity to talk one-on-one with industry experts, ask questions and explore the role of DAS and Small Cells in the Heterogeneous Network, or HetNet. The Wireless Infrastructure Show begins on the 7^th and runs until the 10^th.

The event schedule is as follows:

Noon - 12:45 p.m. Welcome Remarks and "Birds of a Feather" luncheon discussion

12:45 - 1:30 p.m. Keynote: The Future of HetNet

1:30 - 2:30 p.m. Panel Discussion: Top 10 things You Need to Know about DAS and Small Cells

2:30 - 3:00 p.m. Networking Break

3:00 - 3:45 p.m. Panel Discussion: Lessons from the Real World 

3:45 - 4:30 p.m. Joint Case Study

4:30 - 6:00 p.m. Networking Reception

Environmentalists Worry Cell Tower Will Be Visible From Appalachian Trail

A cell phone tower is being built in Macon County, North Carolina in order to bring better wireless coverage to this remote region; however, environmentalists are concerned about being able to see the tower from the Appalachian Trail. The tower construction has already begun and the site is just a little more than a mile from the trail. The tower is going to stand at 170-feet and more than likely it will be visible along five or so miles of the trail.

“Any towers that stick up are unnatural looking,” said Morgan Sommerville, southern regional director for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. (Source: Smoky Mountain News)

Many members of this community are upset because they feel that they had no opportunity to voice their opinion concerning this tower. These residents aren’t trying to stop the construction of the new tower, but make sure there are steps taken to reduce its visual impact.

“It isn’t a rare occurrence to see a tower along the trail,” Sommerville said. “We don’t oppose new cell towers, but we urge cell phone companies to be respectful of neighbors —and they can usually do that without great loss of coverage.” (Source: Smoky Mountain News)

Did Lake County, Wisconsin Officials Lose Local Control of Cell Towers?

Some of the local officials in Lake County are worried that a new state law may have stripped them of their ability to regulate the location of cell phone towers.

"I have checked with our attorney and the town's association, and the way it looks is that we have been left with no power to regulate cell towers," said Village of Merton Clerk/Administrator Tom Nelson. (Source: Living Lake County)

Due to this new state law, Lake County officials might have to approve a proposed cell tower on the Merton School District property that many members of the community have opposed. "The law does not allow communities to put moratoriums on cell towers. It doesn't allow communities to designate where they can be located. It doesn't allow cell towers to be denied because of aesthetics,” Genesee Town Charwoman, Sahron Leair, said. (Source: Living Lake County)

Communications Tower Approved in Medina, New York

On Monday, official in the village of Medina, New York gave approval for the placement of an emergency response communication tower. Jim Krencik of The Daily News reported that, “The Village Board unanimously approved a ground lease with Orleans County Monday that allows for the installation of a 120-foot transmission tower next to the village’s water tower. It will be utilized in an effort to strengthen communications in populated areas and expand coverage in the western corners of the county.”

The communications upgrade to the county will hopefully be completed by next year. This new project includes a high-speed communications connection between the county’s emergency management office and public safety building and re-banded radio equipment for the fire, police, and emergency response units. 

Gogo Announces Unveiling Of New In-Flight Technology With Virgin America

Gogo, who is the world leader of in-flight connectivity and wireless in-flight digital entertainment solutions, has announced that they will be hosting a live Webcast along with President and CEO of Virgin American, David Crush. While mobile technology on airplanes has been a no-no for many years, some wonder if it really will interfere with the airplane signals and some wonder how this is possible.

Gogo uses an Air-to-Ground network that consists of cellular based networks that is made up of more than 160 towers in the United States and Canada. These towers are different than most of the towers constructed these days. Instead of having the signals pointed at the ground, the towers point their signals toward the sky so the aircraft can pick up the signal through a receiver that has been installed on its underside. Then the data signal is distributed throughout the cabin.

Now, is this technology safe? Many people have thought that using mobile phones and wireless technology will interfere with the airplane’s signals. On their website Gogo explains that, “Before allowing our service to be used on board the plane, all aspects of its use were rigorously tested by Gogo and our airline partners and certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).”

Webcast Details

• To attend the Webcast and add it to your calendar, register at gogo.to/register.
• The Webcast will be streamed from Gogo's blog. The link will be emailed to you upon completing registration.
• The event will take place at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 11
• Gogo CEO, Michael Small; Virgin America President and CEO, David Cush; and Gogo's CTO,Anand Chari, will be making the announcement and available for questions after the event.