UPDATE – April 1, 2022: Macquarie Asset Management today announced that, alongside its coinvestors, it has entered into binding agreements with Australia Tower Network (ATN), owned by AustralianSuper and Singtel, for the sale of 100% of Axicom for $2.7 billion (US). Earlier reports said that the assets, formerly Crown Castle’s towers, were expected to fetch approximately $2.1 billion US. American …
ATF accuses man of setting fire to American Tower cell site, trying to destroy multiple other locations
A Jackson County Mississippi man is facing federal charges from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) after a special agent said the arsonist maliciously set fire to an American Tower cell tower earlier this month. Manuel Alejandro DeJesus is alleged to have set fire to at least three cell towers in the Jackson …
Verizon Jackson Pollock-type pole is perhaps first 5G artwork cell site
When Verizon Wireless first began installing 5G light poles last March in Harrisburg, Pa., for reliable connectivity for their subscribers, some residents didn’t know that they were telecommunications structures and questioned what was the purpose of the large cylinder at the top? Some neighbors said they believed they might be gunshot detectors. However, as Verizon began to build a projected …
Phoenix Tower to acquire 3,226 towers From Cellnex Telecom in France
Boca Raton, FL-based Phoenix Tower International (“PTI”) announced that it has completed a definitive agreement — subject to the French Competition Authority (“FCA”) approval — with Cellnex Telecom to acquire 1,226 telecommunications sites in very dense areas in France adding SFR as a second major MNO client of PTI in France. Simultaneously, PTI with its Joint Venture Partner Bouygues Telecom will be acquiring 2,000 …
American Tower reportedly a contender for 41,000 Deutsche Telekom towers for $20 billion
American Tower is reportedly a key contender for a 41,000 Deutsche Telekom towers acquisition. Deutsche Telekom reportedly started the sales process for its mobile towers business as part of broader efforts to maximize the value of its infrastructure assets. Reuters reported the Germany-headquartered operator is working with Goldman Sachs as adviser in the sale of its 40,600 towers, which the …
Key execs believe certified tower technicians will lead the nation’s continuous build programs
Attendees at NATE UNITE 2022 were provided an executive level overview of how field personnel will be taking control of their future as the wireless workforce becomes increasingly dependent upon new skillsets that will be required of technicians. The session, which also identified why companies are motivated to assist in their success, was presented by Mark Ciarfella, EVP, Domestic Operations, …
Johnny Crawford and Bob Paige elevated to key executive positions at Vertical Bridge
Vertical Bridge, the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure in the United States, today announced the promotion of two of its longest serving leaders to Executive Vice President. Johnny Crawford was named Executive Vice President of Development, and Bob Paige was appointed Executive Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Development. “Bob and Johnny have been leaders …
Lawsuit filed against Georgia city after its Council slights a Shriners’ site for T-Mobile
Municipal Communications of Atlanta, GA filed a lawsuit against Columbus, GA and its mayor and council members stating that it is violating federal law by blocking its requests to build a T-Mobile cell tower that’s necessary to improve coverage in the area near heavily trafficked I-185. Though T-Mobile already has 37 cell sites in Columbus, Municipal told a Georgia federal …
Union Wireless chooses TowerCo to market and manage its wireless tower assets
TowerCo has announced a partnership with Union, a fast growing regional wireless provider that serves the states of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Montana, and Idaho. As an industry leader specializing in colocation, TowerCo will market and manage Union’s portfolio of 322 sites to the carriers and broadband service providers to access existing communication infrastructure in key areas for coverage and capacity. At …
Wireless infrastructure pioneer Van Thompson passes away
Van Thompson, a cell tower development pioneer, passed away quietly at his home in Annapolis, Maryland on January 5. He was 66. Thompson was known as a founding force in managing, developing and implementing wireless infrastructure in the mid-Atlantic region. He began his career in telecom in 1987 as a consultant purchasing right of way for fiber optics in Texas. …
AT&T expects a spring or summer start of their one climb strategy that will keep contractors busy
AT&T contractors are expected to be busy in late spring or early summer as AT&T uses single tower climbs to deploy two bands of new mid-band spectrum for 5G, allowing the carrier to simultaneously expand C-band and roll out its recently won 3.45 GHz. It is possible that the upgrade build will involve approximately 25,000 cell towers since AT&T CEO John …
Thirty-year-old tower tech passes after falling from 400-foot tower in Ontario
Canada, frequently identified as one of the safest countries for tower climbers, had a fatality yesterday when a 30-year-old tower technician fell to his death in the Township of Minden Hills, Ontario. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) reported that at approximately 11:30 a.m., the Haliburton Highlands OPP was contacted by Haliburton County Paramedic Services (EMS) for a worker who had …
Bogus BLS averages put larger wireless contractors at a greater risk of being red-flagged
Avetta and other compliance vendors continue to use the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data to initially assess the safety culture and performance of wireless contractors through metrics such as the Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) average. Compliance vendors red flag contractors if their TRIR exceeds the BLS’s current TRIR averages, even though they are aware …
Windy City Tower Techs resolves OSHA fatality investigation with zero citations relating to accident
Windy City Tower Techs, LLC (“Windy City”) suffered an unfortunate fatality incident on September 3, 2021 at a monopine telecommunications tower in Olympia Fields, Illinois. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) conducted a comprehensive investigation into the incident. Importantly, OSHA found no violations relating to the fatal accident. During its inspection, OSHA learned that the employee was not …
CTI Towers announces the appointment of CFO Tammy Wolfe
CTI Towers is one of the largest private tower companies in the US, and has been a portfolio company of Melody Investment Advisors LP (“Melody”), an alternative asset manager focused on telecommunications infrastructure investments, since 2020. CTI Towers owns and manages approximately 1,150 towers in 47 states. Lessors of CTI Towers assets include top wireless carriers AT&T, DISH, T-Mobile and …
DigitalBridge surpasses its fund target by over $2.3 billion in commitments
DigitalBridge Group, Inc. has announced that DigitalBridge Investment Management, the firm’s investment management platform, has closed its second flagship fund, DigitalBridge Partners II, LP, with $8.3 billion in commitments, surpassing its original target of $6.0 billion. The Fund received strong demand from a diverse, global group of new and existing investors, resulting in an over 100 percent re-up rate from …
DISH Chairman Ergen and FCC’s Carr added to NATE UNITE’s stellar lineup of keynotes and presenters
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that DISH Co-Founder and Chairman Charlie Ergen and FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr will participate in a Q & A Keynote Fireside Chat at the NATE UNITE 2022 Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The keynote session will be moderated by prominent industry analyst Jennifer Fritzsche, Head of North American Telecom and Digital Infrastructure …
DISH Network appoints John Swieringa as its new wireless prexy as pressures mount to launch in Las Vegas
DISH Network has named John Swieringa as President and Chief Operating Officer of DISH Wireless. In this expanded role, he will be responsible for all operational aspects of DISH’s wireless business including the deployment and management of DISH’s virtualized, O-RAN 5G broadband network. Swieringa also will continue to lead DISH’s retail wireless business, and oversee day-to-day wireless activities. The Sweiringa announcement comes at …
Verizon welcomes the new year with a fireworks display
On New Year’s Eve, firefighters responded to a cell tower that was on fire at West 2nd Street, City of Gulf Shores, AL. According to city officials, the fire was immediately extinguished and emergency service communications were not affected. The 150-foot monopole, constructed in 2006, is owned by Verizon and managed by American Tower Corp. It is unknown if maintenance …
Unionization of tower training company provides CWA with a foot in the door they intend to exploit
In the past few months, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) has been quietly attempting to unionize wireless contractors and has made inroads with employees of two mid-sized companies, according to sources who have informed Wireless Estimator of the CWA’s efforts. Today, the CWA made its intentions known by spearheading their campaign with a press release announcing that workers at …
