American Tower Corporation is reportedly ready to ink a deal to acquire a majority stake in Indian tower operator Viom Networks, which will expand it’s portfolio there by approximately 41,000 towers. If the agreement is signed, according to the Economic Times, it will be the largest tower acquisition ever made by a US-based tower consolidator. Viom has another 1,000 towers …
American Tower’s CEO unloads 47,000 shares and the 48-hour silly cycle begins
When a corporate insider such as an officer or director buys or sells their company’s publicly-traded stock they’re required to file a Form 4 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. American Tower Corporation Chairman, President and CEO James Taiclet did that yesterday when he sold 47,000 shares in a transaction that occurred the day before at a price of $100.99, …
New top 100 U.S. tower owners unveiled with some first-time players and loss of a key owner
Wireless Estimator released today its top 100 tower companies in the U.S. that identifies the same three top consolidators as in previous years, American Tower Corp., Crown Castle International and SBA Communications taking the lead. Although first place American Tower is slightly ahead of Crown in the Top 100 U.S. Tower Companies list by less than 200 towers, it is an …
Boca Raton, Florida is fast becoming the corporate hub of choice for tower owners
Thanks to early siting entrepreneurs Jeffrey Stoops and Marc Ganzi, Boca Raton, Fla. is fast becoming the hub for tower owners’ corporate offices as witnessed by numerous key players’ offices in a two mile stretch along and off of Congress Ave. SBA Communications CEO Stoops used to run his company from its corporate office off of Broken Sound Pkwy., almost within shouting …
National Wireless Safety Alliance’s Board selected to guide assessment and certification programs
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) unveiled the organization’s inaugural Board of Governors roster today in an industry-wide announcement. The NWSA is a national non-profit assessment and certification organization that is under development to provide thorough, independent assessments of knowledge and skills and provide verifiable worker certification in order to enhance safety, reduce workplace risk, improve quality, encourage training, and …
Phoenix Tower International’s U.S. footprint expands with deal to acquire the rights to 600 T-Mobile towers
Boca Raton, Fla.-based Phoenix Tower International (PTI) announced yesterday that it has entered into a contract with T-Mobile to acquire the ownership or management rights relating to approximately 600 wireless communication tower sites including the exclusive right to manage and operate the sites from T-Mobile via PTI’s local US subsidiaries. Terms of the transaction remain confidential between the parties. The …
In a surprise move, SBA walks out with cash and away from its investment in DAS
Five year DAS ride for SBA unexpectedly ends In a deal that took many industry observers by surprise, DAS developer ExteNet Systems, Inc. announced that Digital Bridge Holdings and Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners will recapitalize the company with more than $1 billion dollars, and Digital Bridge’s CEO Marc Ganzi will assume the position of Chairman of the Board. Key members of …
Crown Castle’s tenants per tower take a slight dip as revenues show a marked increase
Although Crown Castle’s site rental revenues for the second quarter were up $26.3 million over its 2014 quarter, the tower owner’s average tenants per tower for sites operated for 10 years or longer fell off slightly in all BTAs. The tenant per tower average in the top 100 BTAs for sites operated 10 years or more was 2.9 compared to …
Sabotage seen as cause for American Tower cell tower collapse in Arizona
A number of TV journalists covering the collapse of a cell tower in Wittmann, Ariz. on Saturday afternoon appeared to display that investigative reporting is not their strong suit A wooden monopole had fallen on high tension power lines causing a power outage that left nearly 2,000 customers without electricity. While Arizona Public Service brought in a crew to remove …
American Tower monopole destroyed following Virginia welding accident
Polyethylene insulation on coaxial transmission lines caught fire Tuesday in Newport News, Virg. when a crew was welding on a monopole behind Heritage High School. According to Newport News Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve Pincus, the coaxial cable caught on fire as maintenance workers were welding on the tower just before noon. The flames quickly spread along the insulation of …
Some tower landowners want their structures removed as fear strikes India over deaths
Most likely one of Ashwini Khillian’s first initiatives following his appointment to Chief Operating Officer for American Tower Corporation’s ATC India last week, was to inventory the towers the company owns in Jammu and Kasmir as thousands of towers are being compromised by terrorists in India. Telecom trade group Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) estimated today that around 2,500 …
ATC ‘s Taiclet named to Forbes’ 2015 Global 2000 CEO Hall of Fame
American Tower Corp. Chairman and CEO Jim Taiclet has been named to Forbes Magazine’s 2015 Global 2000 CEO Hall of Fame. In assembling its 2015 list, Forbes viewed companies that made the biggest move up its list of the world’s largest companies during the past ten years. Forbes narrowed that group down to 128 companies that had the same CEO for the entire period and …
Some wireless industry musicians and singers can easily quit their day job
A traditional scathing barb heard when garage band musicians try to imitate legendary rock stars is: “Don’t quit your day job.” But at last Wednesday’s PCIA – The Wireless Infrastructure Association’s, All-Star Jam Session in Hollywood, Fla., it was obvious that the only things being skewered, were buffet offerings as PCIA members led a rousing session that made the house …
PCIA’s ‘view from the top’ shows a little bottoming out; tall tower crew shortage possible
A common thread throughout yesterday’s PCIA – The Wireless Infrastructure Association’s Hollywood, Fla. conference was that AT&T has pulled back on their builds, Sprint is almost in a holding pattern and T-Mobile is providing a number of opportunities. Verizon, however, is seen as a steady engine that is assisting a slower than expected build in the second quarter. “Verizon continues …
American Tower takes AT&T to court and wins a $132 million judgment
American Tower Corporation stood behind a New Jersey construction manager who used a creative approach to comply with an AT&T program manager’s directive on a new monopole cell site’s location, while suffering with hurt feelings, and was awarded $132 million by a Sloatsburg, Tex. jury today. In a statement issued by the Boston-based tower owner following the verdict, the company said, …
Competitive spirit can be cutthroat in leasehold ground wars of towercos
Although the nation’s major tower owners present a public face of spirited friendly competition and collective initiatives to ensure worker safety, when it comes to protecting their interests it can be a no holds barred battle between them to keep their most valuable assets, their long-term leases. One clash got so nasty that the counter-complainant wanted a leasehold aggregator’s executives …
ATC leads slightly over Crown with their $5 billion 11,324 Verizon tower deal
American Tower Corporation today announced that it has been the successful suitor in acquiring the rights to approximately 11,324 wireless communications towers and purchase approximately 165 additional towers from Verizon Communications, Inc. for $5.056 billion. Under the agreement, American Tower will have the exclusive right to lease and operate the Verizon towers for a weighted average term of approximately 28 …
Falling fuel prices providing early holiday gifts, especially to American Tower
Contractors and other infrastructure companies have seen free-falling fuel prices prop up their bottom line as gasoline continues to drop across the nation to its lowest prices since 2009. Although diesel fuel’s drop hasn’t been as dramatic, it too is showing a steady decline. Even though Spectrum Antenna Service and 23 other Missouri-based contractors can get gas today for as little as …
Analyst accuses American Tower of possible fraud as Wall Street falls in love with SBA
Update: July 18, 2013 – American Tower Corporation President and CEO James Taiclet, Jr. told CNBC Mad Money’s Jim Cramer last night that he wanted to set the record straight, stating that the Muddy Waters report writer didn’t fully understand the way in which the company funded its Brazilian transaction and they filed a report with the SEC identifying that the …
