NATE, CCA, WIA Urge Lawmakers to Fully Fund “Rip & Replace”

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

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NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, joined WIA, CCA and other telecom-related associations in stressing to Congress the need to fully fund “Rip & Replace.”   They explained that the program to support the carriers that remove and replace network equipment and services linked to the Chinese Communist Party is “significantly underfunded.” That’s a reference to the $3.08 billion shortfall. Continue Reading

China Tower Continues to Operate at Unprecedented Scale

By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor

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The size and scale of China Tower’s business is staggering. By year-end 2022, China Tower operated close to 2.1 million towers. That’s a net increase of 17,000 sites from the end of 2021. Compare that to American Tower which is the largest independent tower company in the world with 223,055 towers at year-end 2022, and almost 7,000 new tower builds for the year.  China Tower primarily serves the country’s state-owned telecommunications service providers (TSP) – China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Broadnet. The four TSPs accounted for a total of nearly 3.4 million tower tenants, a 102,000 year-over-year increase. The TSP tenancy ratio increased from 1.60 to 1.65 over the same period last year, showing a continuous increase in the level of site colocation. Continue Reading

New FCC Application Fees Effective Today

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

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The FCC has revised its application fees to adjust for increases in the Consumer Price Index. The changes impact wireless and wireline operators and commercial AM, FM and television stations. The 11.6 percent price increase is effective today, March 2. Some of the new wireless telecom services fees for site-based applications are $150 for a special temporary authority (STA), $105 for a new license or major modification and $50 for extension requests. Continue Reading

House Passes Bill to Extend FCC Auction Authority

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

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The House passed a bill to extend the FCC’s auction authority. Currently, it expires March 9. H.R. 1108 would lengthen the agency’s ability to conduct spectrum auctions through May 19. The legislation now moves to the Senate.  House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ) introduced the measure. Rodgers cited the need for legislative action on spectrum issues, Inside Towers reported. “American leadership matters, and we see a growing threat from China. China is making it very clear that they want to lead from an economic and technological standpoint, as well as a military power.” Continue Reading

Deutsche Telekom Takes Open RAN Plunge

By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor

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Deutsche Telekom is celebrating its first Open RAN deployment in Germany, partnering with Nokia, Fujitsu and Mavenir among others. Customers in the Neubrandenburg area will receive 2G, 4G and 5G services from the deployment in the ‘brownfield’ network environment of Telekom Deutschland. “Open RAN has matured over the last months in both stability and performance, which has given us the confidence for an initial commercial deployment. Together with Nokia, Mavenir and other ecosystem partners, we will use our collaboration as the springboard to accelerate Open RAN development and create a path to deployment at scale,” says Abdu Mudesir, Deutsche Telekom Group CTO & CTO Germany. Continue Reading

FCC Aims to Foster Satellite-Mobile Cooperation

 

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

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Inside Towers has reported on numerous satellite and mobile service carriers teaming up to provide satellite-delivered cell phone service to consumers. Now, the FCC wants to make it easier for such companies to accomplish this. The Commission plans to vote next month on proposed rules to encourage more cooperation between satellite operators and carriers to ensure wireless service is available in remote, unserved or underserved areas. Commission authorization would let satellite operators use flexible-use spectrum allocated to terrestrial services. Continue Reading

American Tower’s 2022 Performance Sets Stage for Continuing Growth

By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor

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American Tower (NYSE: AMT) reported solid results for full-year 2022, to set the stage for continued growth for the next several years. Property revenues grew nearly 15 percent to $10.5 billion including organic tenant billings growth of 7 percent. AMT’s leasing demand is being driven by growth across its tower and data center portfolios. This growth is partially offset by a reserve taken against slow payments from Indian mobile network operator, Vodafone Idea, which is working through a difficult financial situation. Adjusted EBITDA was up 11 percent to $6.6 billion and AFFO came in at $4.5 billion, up almost 6 percent year-to-year. AMT’s global tower count grew 2 percent YoY to 223,055 at year-end 2022. India is the company’s largest market accounting for 35 percent of the total. Africa and Latin America make up another one-third. Its home U.S. & Canada market accounts for 19 percent of the total sites but drives 48 percent of total property revenues. Continue Reading

Stoops to Step Down as SBA CEO in ‘23 Succeeded by Brendan Cavanagh

SBA Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: SBAC) announced this week that Jeff Stoops will retire from his positions as President and Chief Executive Officer on December 31, 2023. SBA’s Board of Directors has appointed Brendan Cavanagh, SBA’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, to succeed Stoops as President and CEO, at which time Cavanagh shall also be appointed to the company’s Board of Directors. Stoops shall remain on the company’s Board of Directors, and upon his retirement shall assume the position of non-executive Chairman of the Board. Steven Bernstein, SBA’s founder and current Chairman of the Board of Directors, will continue to serve on the Board, and Jack Langer will continue in his role as lead independent director. SBA said it intends to appoint its next Chief Financial Officer later this year. Continue Reading

Commerce Department Report Critical of FirstNet Reinvestments

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

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A report has come to light from the Department of Commerce Office of the Inspector General that says FirstNet could not demonstrate investment decisions were the best use of reinvestment funds or maximized benefits to public safety. The 29-page report, which came out in November, is one of a series covering FirstNet’s reinvestment process. “Our audit objective was to determine whether FirstNet Authority’s process for reinvesting fee payments is effective and consistent with established practices, procedures and regulations,” wrote Arthur Scott, Jr., Assistant Inspector General for Audit and Evaluation. Many of the financial figures were redacted to protect proprietary AT&T information. Continue Reading

Rosenworcel Assures Senators Next Version of Broadband Maps Will Improve

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

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FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel told 13 senators the next version of the agency’s broadband location maps will fix “most, if not all,” discrepancies. She was responding to concerns that “significant flaws in the draft maps recently released by the FCC further underline the need for a robust challenge process,” according to a letter the lawmakers sent to Rosenworcel and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson. The senators asked the agencies for more time for state and local governments, Tribal nations, and consumers to provide input and challenge the maps. They sought at least a 60-day extension, until March 14. Continue Reading

UScellular Towers a Bright Spot Amid Flat Wireless Performance

By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor

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UScellular’s (NYSE: USM) tower segment continued to show steady progress even as the company reported flat year-over-year results in its wireless services business. In its 4Q earnings call, the company reported wireless service revenues for full-year 2022 were $3.1 billion, flat with 2021 level. Adjusted EBITDA declined 9 percent YoY to $952 million. Most of the soft performance was attributed to reduced net adds, moves to premium plans among fewer customers, reduced roaming charges and increased involuntary churn. Nonetheless, ARPU and ARPA both increased 3-4 percent YoY reflecting the migration to higher priced calling plans. The Chicago-based company operates in parts of 21 states covering 32 million people mainly in small towns and rural communities in the Midwest, mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Pacific Northwest, and northern California. At the end of 2022, UScellular had 5 million postpaid and prepaid connections. Continue Reading