NEW YORK-Television programming often can be as good a barometer as hard numbers about trends that are hot, and so it is with the wireless tower industry.In a recent "The Simpsons," cartoon character Homer Simpson rented cell site space on his rooftop to the...
Nextel Communications Inc. last week agreed to sell its portfolio of towers to independent tower company SpectraSite Communications Inc., ending months of speculation about which tower company the specialized mobile radio carrier would select for the sale.The $560 million cash deal has been eagerly...
If the recent consolidation activity among independent tower companies is any indication, size is perceived to be an important element to a tower company in attracting deals with wireless carriers.The rapid consolidation of the industry was jolted into high gear in November when American...
DENVER-SpectraSite Communications Inc., a provider of site and tower development services, said it acquired certain tower assets of Airadigm Communications Inc., a provider of personal communications services. Under the terms of the deal, SpectraSite will lease back tower space to Airadigm and build new...
Consolidation among heavyweights in the telecommunications industry, including some of the wireless sector's largest carriers, has grabbed the headlines during the last several months. Meanwhile, the tower industry has been experiencing a rapid consolidation of its own.Since the beginning of this month, American Tower...
NEW YORK-The current public capital crunch has slowed dramatically the buildout of some domestic wireless networks, but it hasn't changed the positive prospects for the wireless tower industry."We think there have been about 1,600 towers (total) awarded (by carriers) under build-to-suit contracts in the...
Airadigm Communications Inc. signed a contract to sell its entire tower inventory to SpectraSite Communications Inc., said the companies. The purchase price was not disclosed. The contract also includes a provision calling for SpectraSite to build about 125 additional towers throughout Wisconsin and Iowa....
A wave of activity between carriers and tower management firms appears to be developing, signaling a growing trend toward carriers selling off their tower assets in purchase/leaseback arrangements.In such transactions, carriers sell their towers to a tower management company and then lease back the...
A new niche segment of the wireless industry-build-to-suit-is attracting a lot of attention, both from carriers and Wall Street.The idea behind the build-to-suit concept is to shift all aspects of tower siting-including zoning, construction and maintenance-to a third party. Carriers, increasingly burdened with competitive...
This year's El Nino phenomenon has brought unseasonably mild weather to some parts of the nation while slamming others with sudden bizarre weather, including flooding in California, ice storms in the Northeast and tornadoes in the South.The strange weather has effected some wireless systems....
A shift in mobile phone operators' attitudes toward leasing sites has caused a Cary, N.C., company to push ahead with plans to develop and build its own tower sites and offer collocation leasing nationwide."Six months ago if you were to ask a company...
