BOCA RATON, Fla.-Global Towers Partners said it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 51 towers from Jesta Towers, a regional developer and wireless facilities owner with a focus on the Gulf Coast region. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed because both companies...
SARASOTA, Fla.-Global Signal Inc. said it has closed its transaction with Sprint Corp. under which it obtained the exclusive right to lease or operate 6,600 of Sprint's communications towers for 32 years.Global Signal will take over all existing collocation arrangements with tenants and can...
HOUSTON-Crown Castle International Corp. said it priced $1.9 billion of senior secured tower revenue notes, series 2005-1, which will be issued by its indirect subsidiaries in a private transaction.Net proceeds from the offer will be used to fund the tender for several classes of...
Global Towers Partners said it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 51 towers from Jesta Towers, a regional developer and wireless facilities owner with a focus on the Gulf Coast region. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed because both companies are privately...
Following is a list of debt and financial ratings changes for wireless companies announced this week by financial firms.Merrill Lynch upgraded its view of the overall technology market from underweight to market weight, saying the firm's recent changes on the Internet and wireless sectors...
HOUSTON-Crown Castle International Corp. said some of its indirect subsidiaries plan to offer up to $1.9 billion of senior secured tower revenue notes, series 2005-1, in a private transaction.The subsidiaries will be special purpose entities that will hold substantially all the U.S. towers of...
DALLAS-I can see Homer Simpson peering out of the phone in Martyn Gregory's hand. The animated "Simpsons" TV star is trying desperately to jump off a burning oil tower and into a hovering helicopter. I see Homer's wife Marge waving him on. But I've...
WASHINGTON-The Rural Cellular Association told the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau last week that the Federal Communications Commission in a recent report to Congress underestimated and poorly reflected the efforts of Tier III wireless carriers to implement wireless enhanced 911 Phase II. "With the small...
Following is a roundup of wireless companies that received ratings changes from financial services companies this week.JP Morgan lowered its rating on SpectraLink from neutral to underweight. The firm cited weak first-quarter results and second-quarter guidance along with three other factors for the downgrade....
WASHINGTON-An advocacy group asked the Supreme Court to review a lower court's refusal to order the Federal Communications Commission to require research on the health impact of continuous radio-frequency radiation emitted from cell towers.In a press release, the EMR Network said its petition for...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-PCIA and tower company AAT Communications Corp., together with three state wireless associations, have launched a Web site aimed at helping other states form wireless associations. The site, www.swaprogram.net, includes a 10-page guide to starting a state wireless association as well as links...
Less than a month ago, I wrote a column about how the recent lull in wireless activity (mergers, etc.) was just the calm before the storm.Boom! Did you hear the thunder?What a week! Repercussions from wireless carrier consolidation reverberated throughout the industry, affecting wireless...
Despite claims of nationwide coverage, a look at wireless coverage maps from some of the industry's largest operators shows there are numerous holes in those claims. While carriers note their networks cover most of the places customers want to use their wireless devices, many...
American Tower Corp. and SpectraSite Inc. announced they have agreed to merge in an $11.3 billion stock-for-stock transaction. The combination would create the largest tower company in North America with a site portfolio that exceeds 22,000 towers.The merger agreement calls for SpectraSite shareholders to...
BOCA RATON, Fla.-Tower company SBA Communications Corp. reported increasing revenues and a shrinking net loss, news that sparked its shares up slightly to $8.50 per share. The company purchased 51 towers during the quarter, bringing its total number of towers to 3,113."Once again, we...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-PCIA and tower company AAT Communications Corp., together with three state wireless associations, have launched a Web site aimed at helping other states form wireless associations.The site, www.swaprogram.net, includes a 10-page guide to starting a state wireless association as well as links to...
In a record year for financial restatements, the wireless industry managed to stay relatively unsoiled. While other telecommunications, financial and manufacturing companies in 2004 faced various bookkeeping snafus, few wireless players were forced to dust off their financials. Nonetheless, there were a few accountants...
Local governments have contentious relationships with the wireless industry. This love-hate dance gets more complicated daily. First off, governments seem to hate cell towers. Sure, people in the wireless industry can see their beauty, but for the most part, people like them working (perfectly)...
Adobe Systems Inc. said it will acquire Macromedia in an all-stock transaction valued at around $3.4 billion. Macromedia sells a scaled-down version of its Flash player for mobile phones, technology that can display simple graphics and animations. As for Adobe, the company and other...
WASHINGTON-The full 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the mobile-phone industry's motion to re-hear arguments in five class-action headset lawsuits that a divided three-judge panel remanded to state courts last month, setting the stage for a possible battle in the nation's high court....
The following wireless companies had debt ratings changes by financial services firms this week.Standard & Poor's Ratings Services placed its ratings on four wireless tower companies on CreditWatch with positive implications. The companies are SpectraSite Inc., Crown Castle International Corp., AAT Communications Corp. and...
WASHINGTON-Vonage Holding Co., the largest independent Voice over Internet Protocol provider, has solved the problem at least one customer was having when Clearwire Corp. blocked access to Vonage's VoIP service, said Jeffrey Citron, Vonage chief executive officer, on Capitol Hill Tuesday. Clearwire is a...
NEW YORK-Affiliates of The Blackstone Group have purchased a major equity interest in Global Tower Partners from Great Hill Partners, said the company. The value of the deal was not disclosed. GTP owns and operates more than 642 wireless towers and 1,800 rooftop antenna...
WASHINGTON-An Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineer official has questioned the fire fighters' union about a study that suggested six fire fighters in California suffered medical problems due to five years of radiation exposure from a cell site at stations, a claim in a...
