American Tower, the first major U.S. towerco to go public on July 8, 1998, will have a 20-year head start on China Tower when the world’s largest tower owner starts trading next month on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, but down the road China Tower could become a serious competitor. Other than sharing the same IPO month, an average 5-year lease term and …
Politics and alleged propriety software theft unveiled in lawsuit against American Tower
A small Massachusetts software developer is alleging that through their proprietary analytical tools they identified in proof of concept testing that ATC’s Brazilian subsidiary (ATB) was missing the opportunity to capture millions of dollars’ worth of additional annual cash flow, and according to a complaint filed in Massachusetts U.S. District Court by CellInfo, they said they also found “safety shortcomings, …
Industry pride shines as Pat Cipov is selected as Wireless Hall of Fame honoree
Accolades from all quarters of the industry have been coming in for Pat Cipov who was selected by the Wireless History Foundation (WHF) last week as one of its 2018 Wireless Hall of Fame honorees – the most recognized and highest honor acknowledging the leadership, innovation and achievement of each honoree in the wireless industry. In making the announcement, the …
Towerco financial support of wireless workers accelerates with a ‘buck a tower’ sponsors
The Tower Family Foundation (TTF), a 501c-3 non-profit, today recognized the updated support of tower owner/vertical solutions provider companies who are donors to the organization’s “$1 Per Tower” fundraising campaign with towercos Cellcom, Performance Development Group, Ltd. and Vogue Towers joining the inaugural list of donor firms participating in the capital campaign. The “$1 Per Tower” effort involves firms who …
T-Mobile/Sprint say they’re giving a wedding gift to the U.S. of $40 billion
T-Mobile has taken the next step in their merger with Sprint by filing their Public Interest Statement with the FCC emphasizing to regulators that the public will benefit from the merger. In making the announcement, CEO John Legere echoed the ever-popular need to be first with 5G, stating, “If we don’t take decisive, positive action, we risk ceding global leadership …
ATC misjudges industry pushback and pulls back onerous contractor amendment
In a measure to prevent other towercos from building sites near their structures, and obtain some of their tenants with more favorable lease rates, American Tower Corp. informed their contractors late last month that if they assisted in the construction of a macro tower site within one-half mile of one of their existing towers they would be dropped from their …
Verizon exploring legal action against ATC in using contractors as hostages
American Tower Corp.’s demand letter to contractors stating that if they assist in the building of a macro tower site within one-half mile of one of their existing towers that they will no longer be able to do any work for ATC, and possibly be excluded from working for other carriers on an ATC site, has raised the ire of Verizon …
American Tower to competition’s contractors: Our way or the highway
To lower carrier lease rates, AT&T, Verizon and Tillman Infrastructure last year announced a joint agreement to build hundreds of cell towers, some for new macro builds, others for “build-to-relo”. The major towercos quickly and cavalierly dismissed their efforts as non-hazardous to their business model’s health. But last week American Tower Corp. let it be known that they are concerned and …
Settlement of $4.25 million to a first responder’s family after telecom tower collapse
The family of a Nutter Fort, W. Virg. firefighter was awarded a $4.25 million settlement agreed to by the Harrison County Court System yesterday. The resolved lawsuit and details from the defendant’s bankruptcy also bring into question whether better vetting of a contractor could have prevented his death. Michael Garrett was responding to a tower collapse on Feb. 1, 2014 when the …
Canadian who skated on toppling 1,100 foot tower is now charged with murder
A 75-year-old Canadian man who was found guilty of collapsing an 1,100-foot Bell Canada guyed tower in Ottawa in 1987 and had his conviction stayed by Canada’s Supreme Court, is expected to plead not guilty today to a more serious charge – murder. Last Thursday, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) arrested James “Jimmy” Wise and charged him with first-degree murder in …
From the Bronx to Boston, Crown’s employees made a meaningful difference
More than 1,700 Crown Castle employees participated in a day of service earlier this month, contributing more than 7,036 hours of planting, building, painting and cleaning up the nation’s parks. On May 9, Crown hosted the day of service as part of its Connected by Good community parks initiative. Doubling its efforts from last year, Crown identified 22 parks in …
Crop duster pilot killed as he topples 1,040-foot Oklahoma tower
Update: May 31, 2018 -Andrew Deterding, 57, of Pond Creek, Okla., owner of Andy Deterding Ag Aviation, who was flying an S2R-T34 Thrush plane on Wednesday when the aircraft struck a radio tower guy wire, has been identified as the deceased pilot. A post on his Facebook page, written by one of his children, states Deterding’s memories and stories will live on through “every …
Kicking osprey nest off of tower riles neighbors, but not environmental police
A homeowner living off of Center Hill Rd. in Plymouth, Mass. contacted the Massachusetts Environmental Police (EP) on May 17, informing them that she was watching ospreys nesting near the top of a nearby cell tower when “I saw men in harnesses come up the tower and, whey they got to the top of the platform, kick the nests off.” …
‘Un-towerco’ says there will be some pain with a T-Mobile/Sprint merger
If the marriage of Sprint and T-Mobile is approved by regulators, the majority opinion of towerco executives at Connect (X) in Charlotte, N.C. last week was that business would still be robust. Jay Brown, President and CEO of Crown Castle, said during the View From the Top presentation, “It will almost be irrelevant how many carriers we have.” He said …
Geek guy Pai enthusiastically wants America to win the 5G race
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a self-described lover of geeking out infrastructure issues, three weeks ago scaled a utility pole in Gainesville, Fla., to get an up-close and personal view of how difficult it is to string aerial fiber. He also spent time with representatives of MillerCo, a Gulfport, Miss. nationwide wireless contractor, to learn about the exacting requirements of site …
Dish’s foray into 5G is already a soothing shot in the arm for nation’s towercos
Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen said that his company will be building a full-blown 5G wireless network that will cost $10 billion in an interview Wednesday at the Wireless Infrastructure Association’s Connect (X) conference in Charlotte, N.C. by former FCC Commissioner Rob McDowell. Ergen pointed out that current wireless networks are designed for approximately 300 million smart phone users in …
AT&T settles for a record $30 million to injured tower technician’s family
With a Philadelphia, Pa. jury trial scheduled to begin today to determine whether AT&T and other defendants were negligent and contributed to a tower technician falling 50 feet to the ground and causing him to sustain severe and permanent injuries, the carrier agreed to a $30 million settlement, the largest recorded payment in the U.S. to an injured wireless infrastructure worker, …
SBA’s Ciarfella joins National Wireless Safety Alliance Board of Directors
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced today that Mark Ciarfella, Executive Vice President – U.S. Operations at SBA Communications Corporation, has been appointed to serve on the organization’s Board of Directors. The NWSA leadership made the announcement from the Wireless Infrastructure Association’s 2018 Connectivity Expo which is taking place this week in Charlotte, N.C. The NWSA, headquartered in Fairfax, …
FCC’s 2020 repack deadline is questionable following first year’s bleak build
After assessing the progress of the first 12 months of the broadband repack, and the immense pressure put upon the small cadre of contractors that specialize in tall tower broadcast work, the NAB is again championing the need for the FCC to address what the trade group and tower companies believe is an “unrealistic schedule” and the organization is urging …
PerfectVision and Trylon team up to ensure successful wireless rollouts
PerfectVision Manufacturing, a leading manufacturer of satellite, broadband, and wireless products, and Trylon, an end-to-end wireless infrastructure developer and tower manufacturer, have entered into a partnership agreement for a long-term joint manufacturing and distribution relationship to support the growing demands of the industry. The alliance will drive continued improvement in the quality and cost of products in the wireless marketplace by aligning …
