nTelos and Sprint Upgrade Cell Sites Across the Country

In May 2014, Sprint and nTelos announced they would extend their Strategic Network Alliance (SNA) through 2020. Sprint customers gained access to nTelos’s recently launched 4G LTE network and nTelos has accessed Sprint’s 800 MHz, 1.9 GHz and 2.5 GHz spectrum. Jennifer Fritzsche, Senior Analyst at Wells Fargo, and her team hosted nTelos CFO, Steb Chandor, and SVP Finance, Craig Highland. Fritzsche reported that, “NTLS noted it will be building tri-band LTE (800MHz/1.9GHz/2.5GHz) in its Strategic Network Alliance (SNA) footprint, but not on every cell tower. Continue reading here. 

Verizon Hires TAP Advisors to Help With Tower Sale

Recently, Verizon announced that they would be interested in selling their towers in a deal similar to AT&T’s with Crown Castle. Interest has turned into action as the company has hired TAP Advisors, a New York boutique investment bank, to work on a tower sale and leasing agreement, according to Bloomberg. While Crown Castle, American Tower, and SBA Communications have all been acquiring towers at a steady pace, Eric Jhonsa at Seeking Alpha believes that the rising debt loads produced by these purchases could make one or more of those companies respond cautiously to Verizon’s move. It’s been reported that selling their assets could bring in about $6 billion for Verizon, based on the price per tower that AT&T got in their deal last year. Continue reading here. 

Town Officials Ask Maine Federal Judge to Dismiss Verizon Lawsuit

Cape Elizabeth, Maine, town officials have asked a federal judge to dismiss part of a lawsuit brought by Verizon after the company was denied permission to add cellular equipment to an existing water tower. Verizon sued the town in the U.S. District Court in Portland after their request was opposed by residents and denied by the Zoning Board of Appeals. The town claims that Verizon should have filed part of its claim in federal court and the other in state court, according to the Bangor Daily News. Continue reading here. 

U.S. Spent $6.5 Million on Unused Afghan Broadcast Towers

As of June 30, 2013, the United States had appropriated approximately $104 billion for relief and reconstruction in Afghanistan since 2002, and these funds have been used to build the Afghan National Security Forces, promote good government, conduct development assistance, and build infrastructure. Tom Engelhardt wrote in the Huffington Post, “U.S. military spent billions of taxpayer dollars in both Afghanistan and Iraq on nation-building infrastructural efforts of all sorts, and the Pentagon’s Inspector General (IG) repeatedly reported on the failures, disasters, and boondoggles that resulted.” One of the “failures” recently reported by Reuters explained that the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found that $6.5 million U.S. taxpayer funds were used to construct six communication towers that were never used. Continue reading here. 

Verizon Open to Divesting Cell Tower Assets

Verizon Communications is open to divesting their network’s assets including their cell towers according, to Reuters. The company’s CFO Fran Shammo said they were inspired by rival AT&T’s $4.85 billion sale of some of its towers to tower operator Crown Castle last year, a deal which preserved AT&T’s right to lease and operate the towers for about 28 years. Continue reading here. 

America Movil Seeks U.S. Carrier Bids

Carlos Slim of America Movil has contacted AT&T and SoftBank to see if they have any interest in purchasing the Mexican telecom company’s assets that could be worth up to $17.5 billion, Bloomberg reported. The sale would include America Movil infrastructure in a strip of states from north to south along Mexico’s eastern coast. America Movil has not yet asked for bids as the information given did not provide enough details for a company to make an offer, Bloomberg explained.  Continue reading here. 

Oregon Tower Up in Flames

In Thurston, Oregon, a cell phone tower near Thurston High School caught fire Saturday afternoon, sending smoke above the Colt’s sports fields. According to KVAL.com, firefighters got the fire under control and put out in about 45 minutes after flames were reported. There is no word from officials on what caused the fire. “It is contained and basically under control, but we have to wait until Springfield Utility Board gets here to get the power completely shut off to finish extinguishing it,” said Battalion Chief Marcus Lay that afternoon. Read more stories like this here.