Bowing to community pressure, Sprint turned off a cell site at the Weston Elementary School in Ripon Calif. last week after community activists demanded its removal after four students were diagnosed with cancer over the past few years. Although three RF tests were made and the results showed that the site was well below federal compliance standards, as Wireless Estimator …
Industrious Alabama thieves: Why take the copper when you can scrap the entire tower
For 15 years Wireless Estimator has covered tower compound thefts and the most common items taken are copper and cell site batteries; on occasion, a generator or air conditioner makes the list. However, in the annals of bizarre telecom thievery, it’s likely that a theft in McIntosh, Ala. last week will be difficult to top. Three Alabama men are in jail …
SBA breaks the prized $200 mark and Crown to break ground for a 13-story 420K square-foot headquarters
SBA Communications (SBA) made another record high today with its stock closing at $201.49, the first towerco of the big three ever to break the prized $200 plateau. The day’s range was from $199.87 to a record high of $201.99. American Tower closed at $196.22, Crown Castle at $128.51. SBA will be releasing its first quarter result on April 29. In …
Ugly cell sites can be rejected leads 20 Fast-Forward Friday news stories
Article Media San Francision can reject 5G equipment it views as too ugly Bloomberg SC school district’s cell phone tower program draws scrutiny FITSNews WIA’s Adelstein: 5G deployment faces a skills gap RCR Wireless News How a Trump admin ruling could hurt effort to improve data coverage in Syracuse’s poor areas Syracuse.com Deadline to adopt and publish small cell facility …
Bowing to PR pressure, Sprint turns off a cell site that passed RF tests three times
UPDATE – April 5, 2019 – Lawyers at the Cochran Law Firm said yesterday they’re investigating a link between cancer-causing chemicals used at the former Nestle decaffeination plant near the Ripon school site, and the high rate of cancer in the area, according to CBS 13. April 4, 2019 — Although a Sprint cell site at the Weston Elementary School in Ripon, Calif. …
First ‘brick’ has provided workers with an enjoyable 46 years of infrastructure builds. Thanks, Marty!
Forty-six years ago today on April 3, 1973, Marty Cooper changed the course of history when he made the first call from a handheld, portable phone in midtown Manhattan. With the transformative impact of smartphones being felt by industries across the globe, and as the first 5G smartphones hit the market in 2019, Wireless Estimator and the National Association of …
U.S. tied with China in global 5G race, new report finds
The U.S. is tied for first with China in global 5G readiness, according to a new report from global telecommunications research firm Analysys Mason. Making an influx of spectrum available to America’s wireless industry over the next five years will help secure America’s 5G leadership, add $391 billion to the U.S. economy and create 1.8 million new jobs according to …
Canada’s CDPQ jumps into telecom with a 30% stake in Vertical Bridge
In their first foray into telecom, $310 billion institutional investor Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), one of Canada’s biggest retirement fund managers, has announced it has reached an agreement to acquire a thirty percent stake in the main operating subsidiary of Vertical Bridge Holdings, LLC, the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure in the United States. Vertical Bridge …
With prank videos and articles, industry was also ‘GraviHook’ed on April 1
If April 1 isn’t your spouse’s or a loved one’s birthday or other special date, the day sneaks up on you along with a number of April Fools’ Day articles and videos, oftentimes catching you off guard as Wireless Estimator’s Huawei CFO’s Releasei and Dust Spectrum articles did to over 8,000 viewers yesterday, many of them not catching on until …
Huawei CFO’s release requires her to show how she swapped out cell site circuit boards
Tina Glandian, the attorney for ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett, shocked the nation this morning when she announced that she has brokered a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice to have all financial fraud charges against Huawei Technologies CFO Meng Wanzhou dropped, her extradition hearing to the U.S. terminated, and all records sealed. Wanzhou was scheduled to have her first …
FCC to unveil breakthrough technology to replace billion-dollar spectrum bids
The nation’s media was quick to note last week that FCC Commissioners, normally incessantly microblogging their Twitter followers with FCC information and what they believe are cultural consciousness must-reads on every imaginable subject, haven’t tweeted once since last Tuesday. An exclusive report this morning by Emmet T. Witllinger of POLITICO’s Morning Tech uncovered why. The federal agency has been feverishly working on …
PiRod’s founder Myron Noble leaves us, but memories of his kindness will last forever
Do you know what the death rate in Indiana is? One per person. In most quarters that would be considered an irreverent way to begin an article about someone’s passing, but for those who had the privilege of knowing tower manufacturer PiRod’s founder Myron Noble, he wouldn’t want it any other way, and is most likely laughing, even if he’s heard that …
A safer more professional industry mourns the passing of NATE founder Bill Carlson
William (Bill) Carlson, President and CEO of Tower Systems, Inc., and heralded as the founding father of the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE), passed away peacefully at home on Mon., March 25, 2019, leaving a legacy of friendship, leadership, mentoring and a collective belief that through his efforts the wireless construction industry has become one of the most professional …
Services set for New Jersey tower tech who died after falling from Georgia monopole
UPDATE: March 27, 2019 – Services have been set for Devon James Collins who passed away on March 21, 2019 in an industry accident. He attended Pinelands Regional H.S., and graduated from Oakcrest H.S. in Mays Landing, NJ. Devon not only loved climbing cell towers, but he loved and cherished the tower family he gained and grew into nationwide over the …
Widening student cancer concerns appear to be based upon inaccurate cell site RF test results
When a fourth child was diagnosed with cancer at a San Joaquin County, Calif. elementary school earlier this year, parents championed the need to have a Sprint cell tower removed from the Weston Elementary school campus since it could be causing harm to students. The Ripon Unified School District (RUSD) sent out a letter to parents stating that the RF …
Texas tower designed for 90 mph wind speed toppled in a 54 mph gust
High winds early this morning caused the collapse of 300-foot self-supporting tower in northwest Abilene, Tex. Owned by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the structure is located at the Abilene District office at 45250 North Clack St. Crews discovered the downed tower this morning around 5 a.m, according to Cheryl Sawyers, spokeswoman for the TxDOT Abilene District. “We suspected …
American Tower’s stock goes through the ceiling as Crown Castle and SBA reach record highs
American Tower Corp. (AMT) reached record high trades this morning of $187.80, shrugging off analyst Jim Cramer’s March 4 bearish outlook on the stock when it was $178.57. On March 11, ATC rewarded investors by hiking its dividend to 90 cents. Eight executives had planned stock sales on March 10 at a price of $181.61 per share, with the largest …
Rescue crews still searching for victims following 23 tornado deaths
Rescue crews are still searching this morning for victims underneath smashed homes, trees and other debris caused by a tornado that ripped through Alabama Sunday afternoon, overwhelming the Lee County coroner’s office. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones says crews with dogs and drones have combed over the hardest-hit areas, but there are many other areas that they still have not …
Blue sky wireless workforce shortage projections aren’t grounded with reliable data
No stranger to manlifts, climbing cell sites, and even ascending a 2,000-foot tower, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr joined a Vinculums crew on Wednesday to troubleshoot a cell site along a highway outside of San Jose, Calif. According to Carr, the problem turned out to be a bad connector on a sector’s transmission line. The Vinculums team, with Carr’s assistance, had it …
FAA obstruction lighting letter sheds light on requirement for sole source replacement parts
UPDATE February 25, 2019 — An ambiguous July 27, 2018 FAA letter from Khalil E. Kodsi, Manager, Airport Engineering Division, that could be construed to imply that tower obstruction lighting systems could only use original equipment manufacturer (OEM) replacement parts created confusion and industry-wide concern as reported by Wireless Estimator, below. Addressing the matter seven months later, in a letter …
