ExteNet acquisition, Apple $1B investment … 5 things to know today

1. ExteNet Systems is buying indoor infrastructure specialist Telecommunication Properties for an undisclosed amount. Telecommunication Properties focuses on fiber-fed distributed antenna systems and small cells for stadiums and class A office buildings. The company operates the DAS in several high-profile venues, including AT&T Stadium and Madison Square Garden. Going forward these systems will be maintained by ExteNet.
ExteNet’s controlling shareholder is Digital Bridge Holdings, the group that owns tower companies Vertical Bridge and Mexico Tower Partners. ExteNet will add TPI co-founder Jimmy Chiles and several members of his management team as investors, as the two companies combine operations.
“The two organizations are bringing the businesses together under the ExteNet brand and we are committed to a seamless transition,” said Chiles. “In the meantime, it is business as usual for our employees.”
“This is a milestone in the continued growth of ExteNet as a leading player in the rapidly expanding distributed networks and indoor small cell markets,” added Marc Ganzi, chairman of ExteNet and CEO of Digital Bridge. “We continue to look at opportunities for additional value creation.”
2. Apple is making its biggest investment to date outside the U.S. and outside the personal technology space. The company said it will invest $1 billion in Didi Chuxing, a Chinese competitor to Uber. China is Apple’s No. 1 market for the iPhone, so it makes sense for the company to focus investments in the country. The investment in ride-hailing technology is sure to rekindle speculation that Apple is working to build a self-driving car.
3. Carrier investments in small cells and DAS are moving spending away from traditional macro base stations. ABI Research this week said global spending on macro base stations will decline for the second straight year, falling to $48 billion in 2016. But, the market for macro equipment is still several times larger than the market for DAS and small cells.
4. Vodafone is committing itself to narrowband “Internet of Things” technology, known as NB-IoT. The carrier’s commitment is significant as several other European operators, including Orange and Telefónica, are investing in competitive technologies using unlicensed spectrum to connect machines to the Internet. These low power wide-area networks have been developed by Sigfox and LoRa, both of which are based in Europe.
Vodafone plans to roll out NB-IoT across multiple markets next year, although to date the NB-IoT standard has not been finalized. Vodafone has partnered with Huawei to open an NB-IoT lab to provide pre-integration testing environment for application developers and device, module and chip manufacturers.
5. PCIA’s 2016 Wireless Infrastructure Show is a week away. Register here for the show, and sign uphere for the May 23 Women’s Wireless Leadership Forum reception.
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