Welcome to our weekly collection of all the top cell tower news stories, where we cover global, national, regional, local and distributed antenna system news.
Super Bowl Sunday is less than a week away, so it’s hard for sports fans to think of anything else, but at least you have a telecom-related excuse with the latest piece of news. Verizon invested heavily in DAS to ensure that fans will be able connect with each other and the outside world during the event. The only catch? No live streaming of the event from mobile devices.  Last year the NFL found that lots of people were live streaming the game to their mobile devices while watching it. In order for everyone to be able to use the new DAS bandwidth optimally, live streaming will be blocked.
Another big piece of news this week is Crown Castle’s quarterly results. The tower industry giants took time out from buying new towers to report strong Q4 results and a significant increase in revenue. Total revenues were up 18% to $798 million, and site rental revenue increased 14% year-over-year to $651 million. Not every statistic was sunshine and piles of money, however. The company also reported a net loss for the quarter of $23 million thanks to income taxes, which is over twice the loss of $10 million during the same period last year. Despite this, the company still managed to rack up a positive $94 million in profits, down from $201 million profit the prior year.
DAS is now being used in other industries as well. There’s a new long-range wireless tag detection system that could have significant uses in health care, environmental protection and goods tracking. The tag is capable of pinpointing items with near 100% accuracy, which is better than anything currently in use. Using the concept of a distributed antenna system to transmit the signal further, it gives RFID range and accuracy a massive increase.
As always, there are plenty of towns across the nation locked into the eternal question: to add or not to add more towers? New England appears to be a hotbed of tower debate. A new monopole has been approved in Clark while in Ridgewood citizens just now noticed a tower that was illegally erected…months ago. The tower is from AT&T and the city is fighting hard to have it removed. Maybe AT&T were exercising the old adage, “easier to ask forgiveness than permission?” Meanwhile over in Maryland public meetings are still being held for a monopole in Severn and in Odenton, Milestone Communication relented to parental protests to erect a new tower on an elementary school grounds.
For these stories and more, click the links below.
Global/National News
- Tower company Crown Castle reports earnings.
- Vertical Consultants added a Washington company to its list of cell tower lease clients.
- Have you ever worked with a Gin pole? Tower industry blogger Wade gives an overview of theirs uses for tower crews.
- Wade also gave us a flashback story about tower crews’ role in the 1998 Galaxy 4 satellite failure.
DAS News
- It’s Super Bowl, DAS style! Verizon has deployed an extensive amount of DAS support to the MetLife Stadium to ensure football fans attending can tweet, Instagram and Facebook their hearts out.
- A new wireless tag detection system is error-free thanks to DAS technology.
Regional/Local News
- Â The New Jersey Wireless Association announced a date for its next education event, as well as the 8th Annual Golf Outing.
- An illegal AT&T cell tower in Ridgewood, New Jersey has gone unnoticed for months…until now.
- A new monopole tower has been approved in Clark, New Jersey.
- There will be a public meeting on Feb. 11 to discuss plans for the 130-foot monopole in Severn, Maryland.
- Milestone Communication has withdrawn its plans of a tower at an elementary school in Odenton, Maryland, ending a months-long fight with parents who opposed the idea.
- Hilton Head Island, South Carolina residents waiting for better wireless service will have to wait a while longer as appeals for a new cell tower drag on.
- Appomattox Town Council in Virginia will consider selling leasing rights for the town’s cell tower sites at Tuesday’s meeting.
- Union Wireless mounts second appeal seeking to build ‘monopine’ cell tower south of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
- Susquehanna, Pennsylvania School Board to get update on Verizon cell tower proposal.
- Anna Maria, Florida commissioners OK cell tower lease to begin within this year.
- Residents in Manteca, California will gain a new cell tower this year that will be disguised as a giant clock.
- AT&T asked the local selection board to hold off on a cell tower decision in Battleboro, Vermont.
- AT&T’s proposed site for a new tower in Shelton, Connecticut has been met with opposition.
Weekly cell tower news is brought to you by Towercrews.net.
