Global investment firm, KKR, announced that they will be investing in the wireless infrastructure businesses managed by Associated Partners, L.P. KKR has made investments in PEG Bandwidth, AP Wireless, and AP Towers.
"The need for wireless infrastructure will continue to be driven by increases in wireless data usage that is overwhelming existing network capacity," said Raj Agrawal, KKR's Head of North American Infrastructure. "We are excited about the opportunity to partner with Associated Partners to grow this premier set of businesses with critical telecom infrastructure assets."
The demand for wireless is only increasing, which is driving substantial investments in the wireless infrastructure business. PEG Bandwidth designs, builds and operates Ethernet backhaul networks connecting wireless communications towers to the data fiber backbone, principally in rural geographies. AP Wireless acquires interests in cell site ground and rooftop leases in the U.S. and internationally. AP Towers develops new wireless telecom towers and purchases towers that are currently operating.
"As the shale revolution is driving the growth of natural gas pipelines to transport molecules, the advent of the smart phone is driving a similar wireless explosion to transmit electrons. Wireless communication networks are an essential component of the nation's infrastructure," said Scott Bruce, Managing Director of Associated Partners, L.P. "We are excited to have KKR partner with us as we expand our businesses."
This transaction represents KKR's eleventh infrastructure investment overall and fifth in North America since 2010.
Read the rest of our newsletter by subscribing at InsideTowers.com.
Written for the wireless tower industry.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
FCC Strives to Build a More Resilient Communications Network
Marking the one year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, FCC Chief of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau David Turetsky, shared how the FCC is working towards building a more resilient communications network. Approximately 25% of the cell sites weren’t working during Hurricane Sandy and the FCC’s eyes were opened to the importance of having a reliable network.
“The Commission recently proposed rules that would require wireless service providers to publicly disclose the percentage of cell sites within their networks that are operational during and immediately after disasters. The concept is simple: by providing consumers with a yardstick for comparing wireless performance in emergencies, this proposal could empower consumers and in turn create competitive incentives in the wireless industry to improve network reliability,” Turetsky explains. He also noted that the FCC is seeking public comment on this approach.
The reasoning behind this proposed rule is to improve the reliability of the networks that are used to originate most 911 calls. Many people are disconnecting their landlines and switching their phone service to their mobile provider, making it difficult for emergency service providers to locate callers as quickly as they could before.
“Also this year, the Commission proposed measures to improve the reliability of the wireline facilities that are needed to complete 911 calls, especially during disasters. More specifically, the Commission proposed rules to ensure that the wireline network providers that route calls to 911 call centers implement vital best practices in network design, maintenance, and operation,” Turetsky said.
Read the rest of our newsletter by subscribing at http://insidetowers.com/
Monday, October 21, 2013
Friday, October 18, 2013
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Florida Cell Tower Battle Lands in Federal Court
Vertical
Assets, a communications tower construction company based in Atlanta, was
denied a permit to construct a cell tower in Panama City, Florida. The 150-foot
tower was planned to be erected on West 19th Street and Florida
Avenue. However, the Panama City commission unanimously rejected the proposal
for the tower saying that there were safety and neighborhood compatibility
issues.
Vertical
Assets has taken this matter to the federal court because they believe the city
discriminated against their proposal and they violated the federal
Telecommunications Act. Another company was permitted to construct a similar
tower three years ago without having to get the city commission to approve it.
Vertical Assets’ tower would have AT&T as its main carrier but they would
allow emergency agencies to use the tower at no cost.
Verizon Releases 2013 3Q Earnings
This
morning, Verizon released their 3Q earnings that illustrated growth and
continued strong operating performance this quarter. The company reported year-over-year double-digit percentage growth
in operating income and earnings per share for the third consecutive quarter.
Third-quarter 2013 results showed continued high customer demand for Verizon
Wireless, FiOS and strategic enterprise services. Take a look at the highlights
regarding Verizon’s wireless sector:
- 8.4 percent year-over-year increase in service revenues in 3Q 2013; 8.0 percent increase in retail service revenues; 33.8 percent operating income margin and 51.1 percent segment EBITDA margin on service revenues (non-GAAP).
- Added 1.1 million net retail connections, including 927,000 net retail postpaid connections; low retail postpaid churn of 0.97 percent; 101.2 million total retail connections, 95.2 million total retail postpaid connections.
- 4G LTE service now available to more than 303 million people in more than 500 markets across the United States.
Lowell McAdam, Verizon chairman and CEO, said: "These strong
third-quarter results reflect Verizon's long-term investment in reliable, high-quality
networks to deliver value to customers. Our unwavering focus on wireless, FiOS
and strategic enterprise services has produced consistent performance, and
we've delivered double-digit earnings growth in six of the past seven quarters.
Verizon's strategic networks form a powerful distribution platform for future
growth and innovation."
Verizon reported $0.78 earnings per share in the third quarter compared to the $0.56 EPS they reported in the third quarter of 2012. Third-quarter 2013 results include a non-operational gain of 2 cents per share related to the sale of wireless spectrum, partially offset by 1 cent per share in incremental interest expense related to the financing of Verizon's planned purchase of Vodafone Group PLC's 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless.
Verizon reported $0.78 earnings per share in the third quarter compared to the $0.56 EPS they reported in the third quarter of 2012. Third-quarter 2013 results include a non-operational gain of 2 cents per share related to the sale of wireless spectrum, partially offset by 1 cent per share in incremental interest expense related to the financing of Verizon's planned purchase of Vodafone Group PLC's 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless.
CTIA—The Wireless Association Announces 2014 Board of Directors
This week, CTIA—The Wireless Association hosted MobileCON 2013 in San Jose, California. MobileCON is a mobile IT and enterprise event designed for the IT executives and professionals. During this event, the CTIA announced their 2014 Board of Directors.
"CTIA's members provide U.S. consumers with the world's best wireless service and consistently make significant investments in the U.S. economy. Among the 2014 Board of Directors' goals is to make certain the U.S. wireless industry remains the world's leader in innovation so that Americans continue to benefit from wireless telecommunications. One of the key components to this is making sure more spectrum is made available for commercial wireless use. By working together and with the expert guidance of our board, CTIA will work diligently to ensure appropriate public policy that recognizes the need for the U.S. wireless industry to remain the best in the world," said Steve Largent, President and CEO, CTIA.
"CTIA's members provide U.S. consumers with the world's best wireless service and consistently make significant investments in the U.S. economy. Among the 2014 Board of Directors' goals is to make certain the U.S. wireless industry remains the world's leader in innovation so that Americans continue to benefit from wireless telecommunications. One of the key components to this is making sure more spectrum is made available for commercial wireless use. By working together and with the expert guidance of our board, CTIA will work diligently to ensure appropriate public policy that recognizes the need for the U.S. wireless industry to remain the best in the world," said Steve Largent, President and CEO, CTIA.
The one-year term as board members of the CTIA will begin on January 1, 2014. The Board of Directors will be comprised of:
• Robert Vrij, Executive Vice President and Chief of Global Sales, Alcatel-Lucent
• Charles Townsend, President and CEO, Aloha Partners II, L.P.
• Dr. Guy (Bud) Tribble, Senior Vice President for Software Engineering, Apple, Inc.
• Manny Becerra, Executive Vice President & President of Mobile Services, Assurant Solutions
• Bret Comolli, Chairman, Asurion
• Ralph de la Vega, President and CEO, AT&T Mobility, AT&T
• Thorsten Heins, President and CEO, BlackBerry Limited
• Ron Smith, President, Bluegrass Cellular, Inc.
• Marcelo Claure, Chairman and CEO, Brightstar Corporation
• Slayton Stewart, CEO, Carolina West Wireless
• Wirt Yerger, III, Manager, Cavalier Wireless, LLC
• Pat Riordan, President and CEO, Cellcom
• Steve Largent, President and CEO, CTIA-The Wireless Association
• Jay Shedd, President and CEO, DOCOMO PACIFIC, INC.
• Angel Ruiz, President and CEO, Ericsson Inc.
• Mary Chan, President, Global Connected Consumer, General Motors
• Mike Woodward, President, Emerging Devices, HTC America, Inc.
• S. Douglas Hutcheson, CEO and Director, Leap Wireless International, Inc.
• Jeff Gisoo Cho, Vice President, LG Electronics USA
• Rip Gerber, President and CEO, Locaid
• Eddie O'Brien, VP, Worldwide Sales and Marketing Operator Channel, Microsoft Corporation
• Jeff Miller, Corporate Vice President, Global Sales, Motorola Mobility
• Matt Rothschild, VP Sales and Marketing, Americas, Nokia, Inc.
• James Hyde, President and CEO, nTelos Wireless
• John Giere, President and CEO, Openwave Mobility
• George Appling, President and CEO, Personal Communications Devices, LLC (PCD)
• Richard Ruhl, General Manager, Pioneer Cellular
• Peggy Johnson, EVP and President of Global Market Development, QUALCOMM, Inc.
• Mike Narula, President and CEO, Reliance Communications LLC
• Gregory Lee, President and CEO, Samsung Telecommunications America, L.P.
• John Sims, President, SAP Mobile Services
• Justin E. Hinkle, Chief Operating Officer, Smith Bagley, Inc. DBA CellularOne of N.E. AZ
• Dan Hesse, CEO, Sprint Corporation
• Jeff Gordon, President and CEO, Syniverse
• John Legere, President and CEO, T-Mobile USA
• F.J. Pollak, President and CEO, TracFone Wireless, Inc.
• Kenneth Meyers, President and CEO, U.S. Cellular
• Dan Mead, President and CEO, Verizon Wireless
• Charles Townsend, President and CEO, Aloha Partners II, L.P.
• Dr. Guy (Bud) Tribble, Senior Vice President for Software Engineering, Apple, Inc.
• Manny Becerra, Executive Vice President & President of Mobile Services, Assurant Solutions
• Bret Comolli, Chairman, Asurion
• Ralph de la Vega, President and CEO, AT&T Mobility, AT&T
• Thorsten Heins, President and CEO, BlackBerry Limited
• Ron Smith, President, Bluegrass Cellular, Inc.
• Marcelo Claure, Chairman and CEO, Brightstar Corporation
• Slayton Stewart, CEO, Carolina West Wireless
• Wirt Yerger, III, Manager, Cavalier Wireless, LLC
• Pat Riordan, President and CEO, Cellcom
• Steve Largent, President and CEO, CTIA-The Wireless Association
• Jay Shedd, President and CEO, DOCOMO PACIFIC, INC.
• Angel Ruiz, President and CEO, Ericsson Inc.
• Mary Chan, President, Global Connected Consumer, General Motors
• Mike Woodward, President, Emerging Devices, HTC America, Inc.
• S. Douglas Hutcheson, CEO and Director, Leap Wireless International, Inc.
• Jeff Gisoo Cho, Vice President, LG Electronics USA
• Rip Gerber, President and CEO, Locaid
• Eddie O'Brien, VP, Worldwide Sales and Marketing Operator Channel, Microsoft Corporation
• Jeff Miller, Corporate Vice President, Global Sales, Motorola Mobility
• Matt Rothschild, VP Sales and Marketing, Americas, Nokia, Inc.
• James Hyde, President and CEO, nTelos Wireless
• John Giere, President and CEO, Openwave Mobility
• George Appling, President and CEO, Personal Communications Devices, LLC (PCD)
• Richard Ruhl, General Manager, Pioneer Cellular
• Peggy Johnson, EVP and President of Global Market Development, QUALCOMM, Inc.
• Mike Narula, President and CEO, Reliance Communications LLC
• Gregory Lee, President and CEO, Samsung Telecommunications America, L.P.
• John Sims, President, SAP Mobile Services
• Justin E. Hinkle, Chief Operating Officer, Smith Bagley, Inc. DBA CellularOne of N.E. AZ
• Dan Hesse, CEO, Sprint Corporation
• Jeff Gordon, President and CEO, Syniverse
• John Legere, President and CEO, T-Mobile USA
• F.J. Pollak, President and CEO, TracFone Wireless, Inc.
• Kenneth Meyers, President and CEO, U.S. Cellular
• Dan Mead, President and CEO, Verizon Wireless
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
LBA Group, Inc. Celebrates Its Golden Anniversary
LBA Group, Inc., who provides RF consulting and program
management services to a wide variety of clients, is celebrating their 50 year
anniversary as a global provider of Radio Frequency asset solutions. The LBA
Group began as Lawrence Behr Associates back in 1963 and has been based out of
Greenville, North Carolina ever since. When LBA Group, Inc. first began they
focused on providing consulting services in the radio/TV spectrum business
along with consulting on other RF issues.
“Today the focus more and more is on how we live with RF
devices that are increasingly surrounding us, so that’s why we are putting our
emphasis in this area of RF risk management,” added Behr. Since the company
began, LBA has added LBA Technology, Inc., the manufacturing unit of the
company and most recently LBA University, Inc., providing online and on-site
safety training.
Earlier this year,
the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce honored Behr with the Small
Business Leader of the Year Award. “LBA also plans to continue growing and
improving its expert consulting services to the wireless industry in the areas
of regulatory compliance and interference remediation. Safety, compatibility,
interference and security are all critical as it becomes more challenging than
ever to address RF issues in an ever changing mobile world,” LBA Group
explained in a press release.
LBA
Group, Inc. has 50 years of experience in providing RF
asset solutions and risk management for industrial and telecommunications
infrastructure assets. They also post some pretty awesome pictures on Facebook!
1 Source Wireless Doubles Financial Capital Commitment For Future Build-Out
A few weeks ago 1
Source Wireless announced their expansion into the Midwest exceeding their
initial projections, easily securing them a $5 million capital commitment based
on proposed future build-out expansions through 2015. Today, 1 Source Wireless announced
that they have secured $10 million financial capital commitment for the
proposed plans.
The company is
continuing to build on the successful execution by 1 Source’s management team
of its 2013 tower to market goals and further exceed initial projections into
the 2014-2015 build and expansion
plan. 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.
Parents Have 3 Weeks to Convince Sprint to Move Cell Tower
The
parents of students at Poinciana Elementary School in Collier County, Florida
have three weeks until Sprint’s 75-foot tower will be turned on. In those three
weeks they are determined to convince Sprint to move the tower to another
location away from the school. There is now a sign hanging on the cell tower
warning people to stay away from it because the radio frequency emissions may
exceed exposure limits. But the FCC, even though they aren’t technically
working right now, still have rules in place to limit the amount of RF
emissions so people in close proximity to the tower aren’t affected.
Parents
gathered at a school board meeting last night to discuss the tower but there’s
nothing that the school board can do because Sprint operates the tower and
doesn’t want to move it. If Sprint does agree to relocate the tower, it could
cost at least $200,000, and it’s still an issue of who would pay for it to be
moved.
What Problems Could the Connected Car Cause Cell Phone Towers?
Last week at the PCIA’s 2013 Wireless Infrastructure Show, the Connected Car was a topic of discussion. As the wireless industry continues to expand, industry leaders are looking for new ways to bring wireless technology to every aspect of our lives including time spent in the car. It’s not news that people enjoy using their phones in the car. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that, “31% of U.S. drivers ages 18-64 reported that they had read or sent text messages or email messages while driving at least once within the 30 days before they were surveyed.”
Many wireless carriers such as AT&T and Verizon, along with many insurance companies, have started campaigns to urge people to not text and drive. The Connected Car aims to lower the rate of texting and driving while bringing you access to more wireless technology while you are in your car. Iain Gillott of iGR discussed the features of the Connected Car in a webinar yesterday.
Many wireless carriers such as AT&T and Verizon, along with many insurance companies, have started campaigns to urge people to not text and drive. The Connected Car aims to lower the rate of texting and driving while bringing you access to more wireless technology while you are in your car. Iain Gillott of iGR discussed the features of the Connected Car in a webinar yesterday.
The Connected Car would have a built-in LTE connection to the
macro network that can connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot that is within the vehicle.
Passengers will be able to access a wireless signal over the LTE connection.
Gillott noted that, “We spend a lot of time in our cars as a society.” He says
in the webinar that approximately 20% of Americans spend more than 60 minutes
per day in the car.
While having access to technology like this on the road seems like
a fantastic idea, what will it do to our networks and macro sites? “In-car data
use increases bandwidth demand at peak network times and it adds to the network
congestion problem,” Gillott explains.
Because the vehicle is moving, small cells will not work for cars so our macro networks will become congested. This is a challenged that supporters of the Connected Car face. Although this new technology is an opportunity for our mobile network infrastructure to grow, it’s not always easily achieved. It’s possible that our networks will be slow and over-capacity because of the Connected Car before more cell sites can be built to accommodate the influx in demand.
Because the vehicle is moving, small cells will not work for cars so our macro networks will become congested. This is a challenged that supporters of the Connected Car face. Although this new technology is an opportunity for our mobile network infrastructure to grow, it’s not always easily achieved. It’s possible that our networks will be slow and over-capacity because of the Connected Car before more cell sites can be built to accommodate the influx in demand.
SBA & American Tower Set Dates to Announce 3rd Quarter Earnings
SBA
Communications and American Tower Corporation announced today that they will be
announcing their 3rd quarter earnings within the next few weeks. SBA
will release their results on Monday, November 4th after the market
closes and they will host a conference call on Tuesday, November 5th
at 10:00am to discuss the results. SBA Communications Corporation is a
first choice provider and leading owner and operator of wireless communications
infrastructure in North, Central and South
America . By "Building Better Wireless", SBA generates
revenue from two primary businesses - site leasing and site development
services. SBA's primary focus is the leasing of antenna space on its multi-
tenant towers to a variety of wireless service providers under long-term lease
contracts.
American Tower will announce their 3rd
quarter results at 7:00am on Wednesday, October 30, 2013. Their conference call
will be held at 8:30am that same Wednesday to discuss the results. American Tower is a leading independent owner,
operator and developer of wireless and broadcast communications real estate.
American Tower currently owns and operates over 61,000 communications sites in
the United States, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Germany, Ghana, India,
Mexico, Panama, Peru, South Africa and Uganda.
Verizon Communications to Report Earnings Tomorrow
Tomorrow, October 17th, Verizon Communications will
report their third-quarter earnings. Executive Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer Francis J. Shammo will present results on a webcast beginning
at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time. Access instructions and presentation materials,
including Verizon's earnings release, will be available at7:30 a.m. on
Verizon's Investor Relations website, www.verizon.com/investor.
Verizon Communications is the world leader in
delivering innovation in communications, mobility, information and
entertainment. We provide superior broadband, video and other wireless and
wireline services to consumers, businesses, governments and wholesale customers
across the globe.
Ruckus Wireless Named Leader in IDC MarketScape
Today
Ruckus Wireless announced that it had been named a leader in the “IDC
MarketScape: Worldwide Enterprise WLAN 2013-2014 Vendor Analysis.” This study
looked at a variety of vendors that are part of the wireless LAN (WLAN) market.
Ruckus Wireless is a global supplier of advanced wireless systems for the
rapidly expanding mobile infrastructure market.
“This IDC MarketScape assessed the enterprise wireless
LAN market through the lens of indoor WLAN infrastructure, with an emphasis on
the current 802.11n standard and various deployment architectures. Capabilities
and strategies for the emerging 802.11ac standard also played a role in IDC's
analysis, as did offerings in the service provider WLAN space for cellular
offload and managed services. IDC projects the worldwide market for enterprise
wireless LAN equipment will grow from $4.6B in
2013 to over $7.8Bby 2017, with the biggest gains coming within the
service provider and education sectors,” Ruckus Wireless explained.
Ruckus Wireless offers a wide range of indoor and outdoor
products to mobile carriers, broadband service providers, and corporate
enterprises. Ruckus Wireless works to create technology that can increase network
capacity in order to keep up with the growing demand of wireless and broadband services.
According to IDC, "Ruckus has a strong history of
internal innovation, from the pioneering of IPTV to various advances in antenna
technology, including being an industry pioneer in adaptive antenna array and
many other advanced RF functionalities. Ruckus' BeamFlex™
beamforming technology and dual-polarized smart antenna arrays allow for
efficient spatial multiplexing, and Ruckus claims improved coverage in tough
environments with fewer APs.”
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
AMT Keeps “Outperform Rating”, CEO Sells 100,000 Shares of Company Stock
Yesterday,
Deutsche Bank reiterated their “outperform” rating for American Tower
Corporation (AMT). This means the analysts believe that the American Tower
Stock is going to do better than the market return.
Before
Deutsche Bank released their rating, CEO James Taiclet Jr. sold 100,000 shares
of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.73,
for a total value of $7,273,000.00. Following the completion of the sale,
Taiclet now directly owns 100,041 shares in the company, valued at
approximately $7,275,982. You can view
the form filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission here.
American
Tower’s 52-week high is $85.26 and their 52-week low is $67.89. The
AMT stock closed at $74.64 yesterday. Analysts at Nomura upgraded American Tower’s rating
from “neutral” to “buy” back on September 16th; whereas the analysts
at Maquarie boosted the price target from $84 to $88 on September 17th,
giving American Tower an “outperform” rating.
American
Tower released their 2013 Q2 earnings on July 31, 2013. They reported a core
growth of 18.1% with a total rental and management revenue growth of 15.7%. The
company expects the new business and core organic growth trends to remain
favorable due to the carriers deploying networks worldwide.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Why Is AT&T Selling Their Towers?
When
buzz started spreading about Crown Castle International buying AT&T towers,
many people may have questioned AT&T’s motive behind this sale. While
AT&T’s main focus is providing their customers with exceptional mobile
service, they have also taken to constructing cell sites in order to broaden
the mobile coverage in many areas across the U.S. So why sell them now?
According
to Trefis, “the sale of towers will help
AT&T better allocate its cash to more important strategic ventures and take
advantage of the surging data demand in the U.S. as well as abroad, it is not
without its long-term risks.”
AT&T
will be able to take the cash from the sale of its towers (reported to reach
around $5 billion) and invest it into expanding their 4G LTE network. AT&T
believes that they will generate more revenue through their LTE transition and
possible overseas acquisitions than they can by keeping their towers.
“With subscriber growth stagnating, AT&T is looking to
drive LTE adoption and promoting its Mobile Share data plans at the same time
to increase ARPU levels. While shared data plans lock in users by allowing them
to add more devices to their service plan, increasing 4G LTE adoption will
incentivize the usage of more data-intensive applications and drive data
consumption. Further, LTE as a network technology not only supports higher
speeds but is also more efficient than current 3G networks at handling
data, reducing AT&T’s maintenance and handling costs as LTE usage grows.
However, all this will require continued 4G investment to not only increase LTE
coverage but also improve network capacity,” Trefis says.
While AT&T will continue to build up their 4G LTE network throughout the U.S., they may also look into expanding the network into Europe. Oversees, less than 2% of people are on an LTE connection where as approximately 19% of the American population is on the network.
While AT&T will continue to build up their 4G LTE network throughout the U.S., they may also look into expanding the network into Europe. Oversees, less than 2% of people are on an LTE connection where as approximately 19% of the American population is on the network.
The Need for More Spectrum and Cell Towers Is Apparent During Natural Disasters
When
a natural disaster strikes, whether it’s a hurricane, wildfire, tsunami, or
earthquake, they all have devastating repercussions. Among the effects caused
by these tragedies are the family members desperately trying to reach their
loved ones to see if they were alright. When Hurricane Sandy hit the northeast
coast, the FCC reported that nearly 25% of the cell towers had been knocked
out. USA Today noted that the limited
technology and access to satellite networks inhibited the rescue efforts.
The
2010 earthquake in Haiti also showed how not having a well-developed wireless infrastructure
can be detrimental. Haitian engineer, Charles-Edouard Denis, spoke with IEEE Spectrum about the impact of the
earthquake on Haiti’s cellular infrastructure.
“Right after the earthquake, the only
company that was still working was Haitel, but its network was quickly overloaded.
It remained operational mostly because it utilized almost exclusively 30- to
60-metertowers that are built to withstand hurricanes and earthquakes. Digicel
and Comcel were not operational at all, and since between the two they have
more than 3 million subscriptions, a lot of people could not communicate,”
Denis said.
“Most of the people trapped under the
rubble were trying to use their phones to call family members to let them know
where they were, but the service was not available, and no one came to help
them. At a quarter to five in the afternoon, some people were not at work. They
left early to either stop at a friend's house or at a supermarket. So family members
had a hard time identifying the location of their loved ones and therefore
could not help. Since Digicel has more than 2 million subscribers, this lack of
telephone service caused a lot of deaths,” Denis explained.
Not only is there a need for more
spectrum, because the demand for mobile spectrum is surpassing the available
supply, there is a need for a stronger wireless infrastructure that is able to
withstand strong winds in order to better assist people during natural
disasters.
Darrell
West, director of the center for technology innovation at the Brookings
Institution, told USA Today
that, “We need to make sure that there are strong backups because mobile has
become integral to people's lives, and in a time of disaster sometimes it's
their only lifeline to the outside world."
TE Connectivity Enhances Mobile Services At MLB Stadiums
TE
Connectivity announced that their DAS products are helping Major League
Baseball stadium owners and service providers deliver top-notch mobile service
to customers during baseball games. TE’s InterReach Spectrum Fusion, and
FlexWave Prism DAS products have been deployed at Arlington, Citifield, Target
Field and Yankee Stadium.
“Baseball fans expect a first-class experience when
attending games, and part of that is being able to use their mobile wherever
they are in the stadium whether they’re monitoring other league news, sharing
updates with friends, or voting on the player of the game,” said Joseph Mullin,
senior vice president of DAS engineering at InSite Wireless Group, LLC, the
neutral host operator that deployed the TE DAS serving major mobile operators
at Target Field in Minneapolis. “TE’s DAS products give us the broad wireless
coverage and capacity we need to deliver mobile services from major operators
to all subscribers in a stadium like Target Field.”
TE’s DAS solutions deliver the required capacity with minimal deployment time and expenses. The mobile network capacity provided through the TE DAS systems helps eliminate dropped calls, slow browsing, and other issues that visitors to large events typically experience. “As we gear up for the playoff season, fans expect quality mobile services inside of stadiums,” said Peter Wraight, vice president and general manager of Wireless at TE Connectivity. “Our DAS products are an important part of making that happen for major mobile operators.”
TE’s DAS solutions deliver the required capacity with minimal deployment time and expenses. The mobile network capacity provided through the TE DAS systems helps eliminate dropped calls, slow browsing, and other issues that visitors to large events typically experience. “As we gear up for the playoff season, fans expect quality mobile services inside of stadiums,” said Peter Wraight, vice president and general manager of Wireless at TE Connectivity. “Our DAS products are an important part of making that happen for major mobile operators.”
AT&T and American Tower Ask North Carolina City to Allow Towers in Residential Areas
“Consumers are relying on their wireless devices today for communications, shopping, and accessing information, and will rely on them even more in the future,” said Clifton Metcalf with AT&T. “To meet consumers’ demands for reliable connections, better mobile coverage and faster mobile speeds, wireless carriers must erect various types of antennas in multiple locations.”
If the City-County Planning Board allows this ordinance to pass, then companies will be permitted to construct cell phone towers in residential areas as long as they are concealed. This will help increase the mobile coverage in the area. Access to mobile broadband is becoming increasingly necessary as people switch from landlines to mobile devices. More than one of every four American homes (26.6%) deserted their landline telephone service and now rely exclusively on wireless service. (Source: Wireless Substitution) and CTIA—The Wireless Association reported that, “U.S. wireless data traffic grew 123 percent from 2010 (388 billion megabytes) to 2011 (866.7 billion megabytes).”
Members of the wireless industry, such as AT&T and American Tower, are working with cities, states, and federal governments to reduce the restriction companies must face when proposing to build a cell tower in residential and sometimes even commercial areas.
Wireless Isn’t Going Anywhere—Invest Now
Even
though it seems that everyone is connected through mobile phones, there are
approximately 1 billion people in the world that do not own a cell phone
according to Kerry McQueeney of the Daily
Mail. This means that wireless services aren’t going anywhere. They will
continue to expand until they reach remote parts of the globe connecting people
in a way they never thought possible. If you are looking at investment
opportunities, you should consider the wireless tower industry.
Communication
towers are being constructed all over the world, especially in the United
States, in order to meet the demand for mobile communication. So much of our
daily life takes place online, which many people now access via their cell
phones. Without these communications towers, accessing this technology on the
go wouldn’t be possible.
Tim
Beyers of the Daily Finance strongly
urges you to invest in American tower. “Analysts see American Tower growing its earnings base by
about 25% annually over the next five years,” Beyers notes. It was estimated
that there were 6.6 billion mobile phone subscribers worldwide at the end of
2012, and this number has been increasing approximately 9% each year. This
trend suggests that the need for mobile broadband and communications is only
going to increase. More and more devices, like tablets, are being connected
to the 3G and 4G mobile networks in order to access the Internet anytime,
anywhere.
“I'm not expecting a let-up anytime
soon. Why? There's just too much business online. A June study published by
eMarketer put total 2013 e-commerce sales at $1.2 trillion for the full year,
with emerging markets such as Indonesia experiencing the fastest growth. The
entire Asia-Pacific region is on track to produce $388 billion in online sales,
up 23% year over year,” Beyers explained.
With so much information moving online
along with the ability to communicate with people across the world, watch TV,
listen to music, and purchase almost anything you could ever want the wireless
industry isn’t going anywhere for the time being. The top tower companies in
the United States will continue to build up their infrastructure in order to
keep up with demand.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Check Out Our Brand New Website!
Inside Towers is happy to announce that our brand new website is up and running. There you can find all the latest news about the tower industry. If you attended the PCIA 2013 Wireless Infrastructure Show in Hollywood, Florida this week make sure to sign up for your FREE subscription with the promo code we provided you.
Don't forget about our tower database that will provide you with everything you want to know about tower sites. Inside Tower’s database of tower owners is seamlessly updated to the FCC’s ASR database. It features a user-friendly interface to look up towers and tower owners, and the ability to customize lookups and export the results.
Check out our website: http://insidetowers.com
Don't forget about our tower database that will provide you with everything you want to know about tower sites. Inside Tower’s database of tower owners is seamlessly updated to the FCC’s ASR database. It features a user-friendly interface to look up towers and tower owners, and the ability to customize lookups and export the results.
Check out our website: http://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.”
Will We See You in 2014?
Earlier this week, hundreds of people across the United
States and even a few from across the pond visited Hollywood, Florida to attend
the PCIA’s 2013 Wireless Infrastructure Show. Our team at Inside Towers had a
great time, learning a lot about what’s going on within the industry and
meeting some wonderful people.
The Wireless Infrastructure Association, announced that
the Wireless Infrastructure Show, the premier industry event focusing on the
companies, equipment and technologies that enable next-generation wireless,
will move to the spring beginning in 2014. The event will take place May 19-22,
2014 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida. We hope to see you
all there to talk more about the issues and trends facing the wireless
industry.
“The Wireless Infrastructure Show continues to grow in
size and scope, reflecting the increasingly broad array of businesses that are
active in expanding wireless networks—from carriers and OEMs to chip
manufacturers, Wi-Fi providers and end-users. We are committed to doing
whatever it takes to maintain that growth by providing an unparalleled
opportunity for industry players to connect at a meaningful, world-class springtime
event,” said Jonathan Adelstein, PCIA President & Chief Executive Officer.
Who attends?
40% - Infrastructure Providers
20% - Carriers
20% - Professional Services
10% - Financial
10% - Others
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