Suicidal teen rescued from tower
Earlier this week a deputy in Salem, Oregon, spotted what appeared to be young girl climbing a 150-foot monopole cell tower. As he began talking to the distressed girl, he called in backup in the form of deputies and firefighters....
Police are investigating the destruction of an AT&T cell tower in Denison, Texas. According to reports, an unknown person cut the guy wires around the 250-foot tower, causing it to topple over and collapse. Upon initial assessment, it appears the cutting of the wires was no...
Variables such as cable performance, throughput levels, connectivity and passive intermodulation are key indicators of network functionality. Contractors must test and measure all these factors in order for carriers to sign off on a site activation. With the growth of small cells and distributed...
Following up on an August contract announcement, Phoenix Tower International has finalized an acquisition of ownership/management of 600 tower sites from carrier T-Mobile US.
Phoenix Tower owns and operates towers in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean. The company is based in Boca Raton,...
Telecom unemployment is 1.4%, the lowest point in 2015, down from ten-year high of 11.5% in August 2010
In this week's Telecom Careers Insider, RCR Wireless News takes a look at the following industry trends:
Telecom unemployment - By the numbers
Austin Technology Council quantifies tech funding...
Court rules AT&T will stand trial in tower case
Last week, RCR Wireless News reported on a legal proceeding in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where AT&T and several other parties are the defendants in the case of fallen tower climber Thomas Jeglum. AT&T wanted to be excluded from...
Net income declined, according to American Tower Q3 financial report
In a recent earnings call, American Tower executives reported a year-over-year decline in net income, but is betting on a growing market in India with a $1.21 billion acquisition of Viom Networks.
During the quarter,...
Unmanned aerial systems or drones as they are more commonly called are rapidly becoming more prevalent in all aspects of society from military to recreational to commercial use. On the commercial side, the tower industry is looking to the technology to make their business safer...
The National Association of Broadcasters is asking the Federal Communications Commission to extend its 39-month spectrum repacking deadline for up to 1,200 TV stations after next year’s TV spectrum incentive auction citing insufficient tower crews to complete the job in the given time frame.
“Commission...
AT&T claims tower-fall case lacks jurisdiction in request for dismissal
AT&T this week asked a Pennsylvania court to throw out a lawsuit filed by a tower technician who was hurt in a five-story fall. The case pertains to an incident that took place on June 15, 2013, when...
As data demands increase, so does energy consumption from high-density data and communications equipment on cell towers. This leads to the need for increased efficiency in power systems, especially in places with unreliable power grids. The push into rural areas and underdeveloped countries is another...
Fake cell towers, aka stingrays, back in the news
Devices that mimic cell towers, called stingrays and are essentially fake cell towers, are back in the news this week as the U.S. Congress considers creating new regulations on these devices. The move comes after two...
American Tower takes controlling stake in Indian tower company
American Tower made a power move in India this week, agreeing to buy 51% controlling stake in Indian tower company Viom Networks for 76 billion rupees ($1.17 billion). This is not the company's first entry into...
The tower industry lost an influential figure in what is being called an elevator-related accident on a job site in Oklahoma City, Okla. Ernest “Ernie” Jones is being remember for the great impact he had on the tower industry designing towers and pioneering safety...
Drone use for towers gets integration committee
The National Association of Tower Erectors announced the establishment of an Unmanned Aerial Systems Committee. In layman's terms; drones. The new committee will monitor both the trends and regulatory environment related to the fast-growing drone industry. It will use...
In an attempt to streamline the application process for cell site upgrades, California signed Assembly Bill 57 into law, setting a “shot clock” for applications to be accepted.
The new law follows rules laid out in the Federal Communications Commission’s 2009 Shot Clock Order, which...
Smile, you're on camera
Cell tower battery theft is becoming an increasingly common occurrence. This time the crime took place in Warren, Mich. According to local police, the cell tower site thefts started occurring in July and were believed to be perpetrated by a single individual....
On this episode of Cell Tower News, host Joey Jackson talks with Nathan Schuett, CEO of Prenav, about the applications of precision drones in the tower industry and looks at how the company’s drone technology works.
https://youtu.be/Doj_2WdpQpc
In a presentation at TC3 Summit in San Jose,...
Sirius XM is asking federal regulators to look into reception problems reported near T-Mobile US towers in major U.S. cities.
The satellite radio company says the disturbance is “alarmingly severe, extensive and frequent” and it has done tests that show the issues only happen near...
American Tower pays school board $900,000 cash
In a deal that seems more appropriate when dealing with Tony Montana than a school board, American Tower entered into a perpetual easement agreement with Stevenson High School in Livonia, Mich. The company will give the school a one-time payment of...
Intelligent Energy, a U.K.-based power technology company, signed a 1.2 billion pound ($1.8 billion) deal to convert 27,400 Indian telecom towers to use hydrogen fuel cell technology. The deal looks to strengthen the unreliable Indian power grid while at the same time reduce carbon emissions.
Essential Energy, an Intelligent...
A tower technician fell off of a tower to his death in Lamar Township, Pa., last Friday. Matthew Vance, 37, was working on a communication tower conjunction with a group of five technicians on the site. At this time it is unknown what circumstance...
Couple wreaks havoc with tower thefts
A couple in the Cincinnati area is responsible for what is being called "millions of dollars" in losses to mobile carriers as well as a seven-hour disruption of service. According to police, Rachel and Michael Cowan stole more than $45,000...
Worker remains in serious condition
A tower worker was seriously injured when he touched a live electrical wire while doing a broadband deployment near New Carlisle, Ind. Officials identified the man as 24 year old John Richardson of Michigan City, Ind.
"What first responders found when...
