The nation’s tower techs take pride in their work and their ability to safely rescue a fellow worker if the occasion ever arises. Most techs will spend their career never having to perform an emergency rescue on a tower, but when it’s necessary, it’s nice to know that the men and women working alongside you have you covered. Such was the case …
Catherine Piche to lead Crown Castle’s tower division as its EVP and COO
Crown Castle International Corp. has announced that Catherine Piche has been appointed to succeed Robert C. Ackerman as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer–Towers, effective September 1, 2021. Ackerman plans to retire following a 50-year career that included 23 years in various senior leadership roles at Crown Castle, and he has agreed to remain with Crown Castle in an …
Congruex adds Oregon-based A&M Communications to its portfolio of companies
Congruex, a national end-to-end provider of design, engineering, construction, and maintenance services to broadband providers, today announced the acquisition of A&M Communications. The acquisition further cements Congruex’s leading position as one of the nation’s largest telecom engineering and construction firms. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Headquartered in Boring, Oregon, A&M Communications is an end-to-end provider of wireless …
QualTek’s BACOM acquisition adds 200 new employees for its 5G build to complement its 5,000-plus workforce
QualTek, LLC, a leading turnkey provider of infrastructure services to the North American 5G wireless, telecom, and renewable energy sectors, announced that it has acquired Broken Arrow Communications Inc. (BACOM). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico with more than 200 employees and serving customers in 11 states in the Western U.S., BACOM provides a …
DigitalBridge acquires a controlling stake in nation’s largest independent tower owner, Vertical Bridge
DigitalBridge Group. Inc. today announced that funds affiliated with DigitalBridge Investment Management, the Company’s investment management platform, have reached a definitive agreement to acquire a controlling stake in Vertical Bridge Holdings, LLC (Vertical Bridge), the largest private owner and operator of wireless communications infrastructure in the United States. As the operator of the largest independent tower platform in the U.S., …
SBA’s Stoops believes Q2 was the start of a multi-year increase in U.S. wireless carrier capex
SBA Communications Corp. on Monday reported its second quarter results that exceeded Wall Street expectations. The company’s shares have increased 21% since the beginning of the year. This morning SBAC was trading at $348.62, inching towards its 52-week high of $350.63. The Boca Raton, FL-based real estate investment trust said it had funds from operations of $293.5 million, or $2.64 …
Senate puts it in writing: Fiber will not keep wireless from benefitting from $65 Billion broadband bill
A group of senators finalized the legislative text totaling 2,702 pages last night for the long-awaited infrastructure deal, bringing the Senate a step close to passing the administration’s bill that would provide $65 Billion for the nation’s broadband development. Industry lobbyists were relieved when their core concern was struck from the legislation being considered that would have favored high-speed fiber development …
Dish wants contractors to ‘accept or reject’ unprofitable blue plate special colo pricing
Dish Wireless’s urgency to build out their 5G mobile network has been long-seen by many wireless contractors as their sought after savior that would allow them to move a segment of their workforce to more profitable work than the depressed market pricing they are being offered by many carriers or their turfing vendors. However, the expected supply and demand shift …
California study shows that small cells actually increase home values
Joint Venture Silicon Valley unveiled their latest study last week regarding the Economic Impacts to Residential Real Estate from Small Wireless Facilities. The study focused on whether objective evidence in real estate sales records shows residential real estate valuation impacts from small wireless facilities or “small cells”. It concluded that small cell facilities do not have an appreciable effect on …
Rullex and Ansco get into legal fray over $113K of downtime and troubleshooting
A project management and construction company is suing another management and contracting firm that is managing AT&T site builds for allegedly failing to pay invoices submitted for downtime and troubleshooting. According to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on June 21, Rullex Co., Inc., is suing Georgia-based Ansco & Associates LLC for not …
DigitalBridge’s Barrack resigns after being arrested in LA for being an alleged unregistered foreign agent
Update: July 23, 2021 – Federal prosecutors agreed upon a $250 million dollar bail today for Thomas Barrack while he awaits trial on charges that he illegally lobbied the U.S. government on behalf of leaders in the United Arab Emirates. The bail, was the third highest amount in U.S. history, equal to Michael Milken’s bail that cost the Wall Street ‘junk …
Following a two island shopping spree, Phoenix Tower Intl. bags 830 Monaco Telecom towers
Boca-Raton, FL-based Phoenix Tower International (“Phoenix“) has closed its agreement with Monaco Telecom to purchase over 830 wireless towers and acquire newly constructed wireless towers over six years across Malta and Cyprus through a build-to-suit (BTS) program. Phoenix is now the largest tower infrastructure provider in both countries and the long-term partnership established with Monaco Telecom through this deal will see the operator occupy the …
American Tower and SBA Communications exposed to sabotage during South Africa riots
South African crowds continued to riot overnight, defying calls from authorities to end a week of violence that has killed more than 70 people, wrecked dozens of shopping malls, and destroyed over a thousand businesses as well as over one hundred communications towers. The violence started following the jailing of ex-president Jacob Zuma last week for failing to appear at …
NATE’s new Washington chief will also head association’s Wireless Industry Network
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced the hiring of Todd Washam as Director of Government Relations and Wireless Industry Network, a new Washington, D.C. based staff position established by the Association. Washam officially begins his duties with NATE on Friday, July 16. Washam comes to NATE with an extensive background that includes serving as a congressional staffer for approximately …
Forum sees growing diversity of deployment models driving surging small cell demand through 2026
The Small Cell Forum (SCF) has released its latest market forecast report identifying a large growth curve. The report, available here, confirms the continuing growth of the small cell market, with 5G driving new deployments, particularly in industrial and enterprise settings. This is forecast to be accelerated by increasing access to new spectrum and open architectures, both of which will facilitate new …
Vertical Bridge and Tarpon Towers tag team against Tillman’s tower model at South Wireless Summit session
When towerco executives interact during a panel discussion, it’s expected that they’ll present an uplifting message to the audience, nodding to investors to join in their spiritual-like carrier campfire song. A Tuesday presentation proved to be an exception. During a South Wireless Summit session moderated by Pat Tant, CEO of Vogue Towers, Vertical Bridge Sr. VP Bob Paige and Tarpon …
Vertical Freedom trailer provides a quick insight about an upcoming tower tech feature length movie
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, in collaboration with STORYBUILT Media, released the debut movie trailer last night at the South Wireless Summit in Nashville, TN for Vertical Freedom, an epic, feature length documentary film highlighting the professional and personal lives of six communications infrastructure workers in the United States who possess diverse backgrounds and compelling stories, on and off …
NATE takes off the gloves and exposes depressed pricing and other issues making contracting ‘untenable’
Downward pricing pressure and costly vetting demands from carriers and other top-tier clients over the years have undermined the ability of many wireless contractors to remain profitable. It’s a frequent topic of concern and conversations typically end with no solutions or guidance and are renewed each year when turfing vendors and other customers set a new percentage price reduction that …
Communications survive condo catastrophe as hope for survivors dwindles; lawsuit adds wireless contractor
UPDATE: June 29, 2021 – Two lawsuits have already been filed against the Champlain Towers South Condominium Association. One of the lawsuits alleges that recently added weight to the building’s roof was “the straw that broke the spine” of the complex. It also claims that the association had “contracted with a cellular antennae provider/contractor, allowing it to install a transmission and/or receiver …
Mobilitie acquired by transit and connected infrastructure firm BAI Communications
BAI Communications (BAI), a global communications infrastructure provider, has today agreed to acquire Mobilitie, one of the largest privately held telecommunications infrastructure companies in the United States. This acquisition represents a major expansion of BAI’s business in North America where it provides cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity across large infrastructure projects, including the New York City subway system, under its majority owned business Transit Wireless. It …
