BROWSING: Towers

Teracom AB chooses Alvarion for LMDS

TEL-AVIV, Israel-Alvarion Ltd. announced Swedish television and radio broadcaster Teracom AB will use the Siemens/Alvarion WALKair 3000 broadband wireless solution to build out a nationwide LMDS network. Teracom-one of four companies awarded a national LMDS license in 2001-plans to now begin a five-year project...

Stealth solutions a pricey fix for aesthetic problem

To the average consumer, wireless communication towers are not pretty. Therein lies the main argument from communities opposed to new local tower builds. But many in that camp are learning there are ways to conceal those steel structures, and industry should be prepared to...

Stringent zoning sparks tower insurance biz

Increasingly stringent zoning rules may be costing tower companies, but they also are bringing new business to other industries not necessarily yet associated with the world of wireless.Zoning laws, for example, are making tower insurance a required cost for tower owners and creating a...

Dem contenders keen on high-tech

WASHINGTON-The campaign of leading Democratic presidential contender Howard Dean downplayed comments it said were misinterpreted as favoring wholesale re-regulation of telecommunications and other key industry sectors, but last week's flap perhaps offered a glimpse into how the former Vermont governor sees technology fitting...

Wireless Bureau reorganized

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission today said the Wireless Bureau has been reorganized to more effectively support strategic goals regarding broadband, competition, spectrum, media, homeland security and agency modernization.The FCC said the scope and size of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's larger divisions have been reduced...

SBA shrinks losses, revenues

SBA Communications Corp. reported revenues for the third quarter totaled $52.4 million, down from $60.8 million in third-quarter 2002. The company also released the results of a re-audit of its fiscal year 2001 and 2002 financial statements to reflect the sale of towers to...

Environmentalists say FCC violating bird rules on towers, carriers say evidence lacking

Wireless carriers continued their push for more research on whether tower facilities kill large numbers of birds, while environmental groups shook their collective finger at the government, alleging the Federal Communications Commission is breaking the law in comments filed with the agency on the...

AAT closes on financing

ST. LOUIS-AAT Communications Corp. announced it has closed on $180 million of equity capital it plans to use to help fund acquisitions and build-to-suit tower projects.AAT has nearly quintupled its tower portfolio since May 2002 when Cequel III was appointed AAT's management company, the...

SBA releases quarterly results, restated annual results

BOCA RATON, Fla.-SBA Communications Corp. has released its third-quarter 2003 financial earnings. The company also released the results of a re-audit of its fiscal year 2001 and 2002 financial statements to reflect the sale of towers to AAT Communications Corp. and other towers held...

TWR releases dual lighting for towers

HOUSTON-TWR Lighting Inc. recently introduced its L864/865 dual lighting system for tower structures and touted it as a potential source of cost savings for tower operators. The new system, which uses LED and strobe technology, features longer warranty support and significant power consumption savings...

Best practices works when it’s enforced

To the Editor,I read your opinion piece, and agree that the parties to the Consensus Plan seem like they cannot get on the same page.I take issue with your statement that "a version of the best-practices approach has been in place almost as long...

Cost to build out rural U.S. is enormous

An Oct. 31 article in RCR Wireless quoted Sen. Ted Stevens from Alaska as saying, "We should let cell-phone companies get additional price support to expand cell-phone towers into rural America." Sounds simple, but Sen. Stevens did not run the numbers.He appears to be...

Nextel snags 2 GHz spectrum in Nucentrix auction

Nextel Communications Inc. won a number of wireless licenses, spectrum and tower leases for $51 million in an auction of certain assets of bankrupt wireless broadband service provider Nucentrix Broadband Networks Inc.The assets include licenses for 128 megahertz of spectrum in the 2.1 GHz...

SpectraSite offers solid quaterly results

Tower owner and operator SpectraSite Inc. this week released fairly solid third-quarter 2003 financial results.SpectraSite reported total revenues of $83.9 million, up from $79.3 million for the third quarter of 2002. Revenues from site operations were $79.5 million, up from $72 million in the...

American Tower to sell $400M in notes

BOSTON-American Tower Corp. announced its American Towers Inc. subsidiary will sell $400 million principal amount of 7.25-percent senior subordinated notes due 2011 in an institutional private placement.The company originally sought to issue $350 million of the notes. Net proceeds from the notes will be...

Crown Castle revenue, net loss rise in quarter

HOUSTON-Crown Castle International Corp. reported a slight year-over-year increase in total revenues during the third quarter from $227.4 million last year to $235.6 million in total revenues during the third quarter of 2003. The increase included a dramatic drop in network service revenue from...

Award winners named at tower show

LAS VEGAS-From a crowded show floor at this week's Tower Summit & Trade Show, Shorecliff Communications L.L.C. presented its annual Excellence in Business Awards.Sprint Sites USA was awarded the most creative site concealment design for a site resembling a weather vane in the Research...

Senate could tinker with USF as revenues plummet

WASHINGTON-A powerful lawmaker called for wireless carriers to get universal-service subsidies for deploying towers in rural America."We should let cell-phone companies get additional price support to expand cell-phone towers into rural America," said Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.Stevens' suggestion...

FCC partners with NIMA on tower database

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency plan to create a tower location database though a memorandum of understanding that requires them to exchange unclassified database information on tower locations on a quarterly basis. The FCC will provide information from...

American Tower strong in 3Q

BOSTON-American Tower Corp. reported strong third-quarter results, including increased revenues and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and decreased net losses.Total operating revenues were $186.9 million, up from $174.9 million in the third quarter of 2002, and net loss was $52.9 million, or...

Crown Castle revenue, net loss up

Crown Castle International Corp. reported a slight year-over-year increase in total revenues during the third quarter from $227.4 million last year to $235.6 million in total revenues during the third quarter of 2003. The increase included a dramatic drop in network service revenue from...

Companies accept awards at tower show

LAS VEGAS-From a crowded show floor at this week's Tower Summit & Trade Show, Shorecliff Communications L.L.C. presented its annual Excellence in Business Awards.Sprint Sites USA was awarded the most creative site concealment design for a site resembling a weather vane in the Research...

OSHA investigates cell-phone tower death

WASHINGTON-The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and local authorities are investigating the death of a man who died after falling from a cell-phone tower being built by a Massachusetts contractor for Sprint PCS. Eastern Communications Inc., the firm where the man was employed, is...

American Tower completes offer for notes

BOSTON-American Tower Corp. has completed its cash tender offer for its 2.25-percent convertible notes due 2009.The company said that more than $104 million in aggregate principal amount at maturity of notes was surrendered for repurchase. The repurchase price for the notes was $802.93 per...