When a large corporation moves to a new headquarters, it’s often a problem for employees who have to relocate. Still, DigitalBridge’s announcement today that it is moving its entire staff north to a new mixed-use complex is being welcomed by employees since the move to Delray Beach from its Boca Raton, FL headquarters is less than six miles further or …
‘Mentally stressed’ RF expert bails on Roswell, GA in the final days of a T-Mobile lawsuit costing $1 million-plus
This week, T-Mobile continued its 14-year battle with Roswell, Georgia, to erect a 108-foot monopine near Lake Charles Drive that was denied multiple times. The ongoing lawsuit is the costliest and most protracted siting litigation in the United States, with both parties shelling out well over a million dollars in legal fees since T-Mobile filed the complaint in 2010. It is also …
Crown Castle co-founder Miller says the company deserves better and needs ‘people who live and breathe towers’
Ted B. Miller, co-founder of Crown Castle Inc. and his investment vehicle Boots Capital Management, LLC, issued an open letter yesterday to the Crown Castle Board of Directors, the company’s employees, and its shareholders. Miller said he believes Crown Castle’s stock can be worth at least $150 in the next 18 months if the board takes immediate action to restore …
Former T-Mobile tech president Neville Ray elected to American Tower’s board of directors
American Tower Corporation announced that its Board of Directors had elected Neville R. Ray as a director. Ray most recently served as T-Mobile’s President of Technology until 2023. He joined T-Mobile (then VoiceStream) in April 2000, and from December 2010 to November 2019, served as its Chief Technology Officer. Prior to that, Ray served as Network Vice President for Pacific …
New ADA lawsuit tells American Tower, T-Mobile and AT&T to relocate their tower or reconfigure their network with beamforming antennas
After American Tower, AT&T, and T-Mobile did not respond by February 1, 2024, to Duluth, Minnesota resident Marcia Haller’s request to mitigate RF levels that continued to make her ill at her home (as detailed on February 29, 2024, by Wireless Estimator), and caused 51 strokes, her attorneys, being paid by the Children’s Health Defense’s Electromagnetic Radiator & Wireless program, filed …
Verizon’s Fresno faux brick building cell site is a slight to the community and an eyesore, residents say
OPINION — “What the’ x&!*’ is that monstrosity?” a member of the “For the Love of Downtown Fresno” Facebook group asked. “Looks like low-quality brick wallpaper,” commented another member. “This looks like crap, and if this is the finished version, I cannot believe the forward, thinking people who designed that,” a third member remarked. “It needs advertisements,” a fourth post …
Four faux T-Mobile contractors arrested after caught in the act of ripping off ‘3G’ cables
A brazen communications cable theft at a West Boylston, Massachusetts, cell tower on Friday afternoon led to the arrest of four New York men accused of posing as subcontractors to steal the cables for their scrap value. The incident, which highlights a troubling trend of cell tower transmission line thefts across New England, unfolded when local police responded to an …
Phoenix Tower International enters Ireland after acquiring Cellnex’s 1,900 towers for $1.1 Billion
Spanish telecom infrastructure company Cellnex has announced the sale of its Irish mobile tower unit to Boca Raton, Florida-based Phoenix Tower International (PTI) for about $1.1 Billion, equivalent to a multiple of around 24x EBITDA. This move comes as Cellnex, which currently manages approximately 1,900 tower sites in Ireland, aims to consolidate and simplify its corporate structure as part of …
Having to sleep in a Faraday cage, Minnesota couple threatens ATC, T-Mobile and AT&T with a lawsuit
In 2008, Marcia and Jason Haller moved into their newly constructed home with an oversized free-standing garage in a peaceful setting in a rural area just north of Duluth, Minnesota. Within months, Minnesota Tower, Inc. erected a 295-foot guyed tower on leased land approximately 1,300 feet from Haller’s home, which was approved for construction by the FCC in 2007. Although …
Crown Castle boots Boots Capital and Ted Miller’s turnaround fiber plan to the curb
Twenty-two years after stepping down as Crown Castle’s leader, co-founder Ted Miller wanted back one of his old jobs. Still, after the company reviewed his resume as an applicant for Chairmanship and his plans to turn around the company’s lagging stock price, they rejected his employment on Tuesday. Crown Castle said it had confirmed that Boots Capital Management, LLC, which …
Co-founder launches Crown Castle proxy fight after being rebuffed by Elliott, to reshape its ‘ridiculed’ image
Ted Miller, the co-founder of Crown Castle, stated today that the U.S. telecom infrastructure firm could sell its fiber assets for up to $15 billion if he and his partners were added to the board of directors. In a conversation with Reuters, Miller expressed confidence that his team is ideally suited to secure buyers for the fiber division and to assist …
Three top towerco execs, Cavanagh, Kavanagh and Noel, join Wireless Infrastructure Association’s Board
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) announced the following industry leaders have joined its Board of Directors: Brendan Cavanagh, President and Chief Executive Officer, SBA Communications Mike Kavanagh, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer-Towers, Crown Castle Bud Noel, Executive Vice President and President, U.S. Tower Division, American Tower Brendan Cavanagh succeeds former SBA President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Stoops …
Gun-toting Texas arsonist sentenced to 78 months for allegedly torching 22 cell towers
A 30-year-old San Antonio, Texas man was sentenced Wednesday in a federal court to six and a half years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and setting fire to approximately 22 cell towers, according to court records. In a statement, prosecutors said Sean Aaron Smith “maliciously attempted to damage and destroy, using fire, multiple cellular …
Taking editorial roads less traveled seen as the successful driver for Wireless Estimator’s 20th Anniversary
In 2004, two years before Facebook became accessible to the general public and Yahoo! Groups were getting their internet legs, there was the now-defunct Tower-Pro group. It boasted 2,200 members at its peak, and was one of the few vehicles offering news and only when a member posted a link. At that time, former journalist and veteran contractor in the …
Dale Heath elected as Vice-Chair of TIF, Karmen Rajamani and Anthony Castillo added to Board
The Telecommunications Industry Foundation (TIF) has elected Dale Heath as its Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. The organization also announced that Karmen Rajamani and Anthony Castillo will join the TIF Board. Heath replaces Vice-Chair Scott Stekr, who has stepped down to support the entire industry as he has accepted his appointment to the editorial committee for TIA’s TR …
Study reveals 73% of underground fiber deployment’s cost is in labor, 67% for aerial
The Fiber Broadband Association has announced the results of its 2023 Fiber Deployment Cost Study, conducted by Cartesian, which provides the industry’s benchmark to help fiber broadband service providers evaluate their cost profile and identify areas of inefficiency. FBA’s comprehensive study identifies that, on average, labor contributed to 73% of underground build costs and 67% of aerial costs. The study also provides regional …
NTIA awards DISH with a $50 million grant for an Open RAN center in Cheyenne, Wyoming
DISH Wireless, a subsidiary of EchoStar, has been awarded a historic $50 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to establish the Open RAN Center for Integration & Deployment (ORCID). ORCID will allow participants to test and validate their hardware and software solutions (RU, DU and CU) against a complete commercial-grade Open RAN network deployed …
Crown Castle’s surprising about-face on Canonsburg relocation sparks employee confusion
Crown Castle Inc., in a dramatic turnaround, has left its employees in Canonsburg, PA, scratching their heads after abruptly canceling plans to relocate them to the corporate headquarters in Houston, TX. The decision comes following activist investor Elliott Investment Management’s call for changes within the company as CEO Jay Brown prepares to step down in January. Interim CEO Anthony Melone, …
Crown Castle CEO Jay Brown announces retirement amid activist investor pressure to resign
Communications infrastructure provider Crown Castle Inc. is undergoing a significant leadership change as CEO Jay Brown has decided to retire, effective January 16, 2024. The announcement comes amidst pressure from activist investor Elliott Management, which has been advocating for leadership changes and strategic improvements at the company. Brown’s departure follows a series of scathing critiques from Elliott, known for its …
Thieves find it more profitable in India to steal the entire cell site instead of stripping cable
Thieves normally specialize in stealing batteries or transmission lines at communications sites in the U.S., but in an incident in India, thieves went for the full monty, stealing the entire cell site. The theft occurred last March but wasn’t reported to authorities until last week in Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi district, where a cell tower, standing at 165 feet and weighing …
