Dish Wireless announced yesterday that as of June 14, the carrier is offering 5G broadband service to over 70 percent of the U.S. population, giving more than 240 million Americans access to its technology. This marks a significant milestone for Dish and the U.S. telecom industry, as Dish designed, built, and deployed a first-of-its-kind 5G network in three years. Dish …
Tripped up by their trail, methheads await charges for Verizon cell site break in
Three Livingston, TX residents remain in the Polk County Jail, and another is still at large after they were accused of stealing from a Verizon 200-foot self-supporting cell tower compound and also exposing a toddler to methamphetamine and fentanyl. Polk County Sheriff’s deputies responded on June 6 to a report of a theft from the tower off of U.S. Highway 59 just north …
FCC’s systems have been down for the past week and may be unavailable for the foreseeable future
The FCC’s Universal Licensing System (ULS) is currently down and not accessible to the public. This includes the Commission’s License Manager, License Search, Application Search, Tower Construction Notification System, E-106 System, Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) Online Filing, ASR Application Search, ASR Registration Search, TOWAIR, and all ULS Specialized Searches. The systems are anticipated to be down until at least next …
Aggravated over aggregator Everest’s ‘multi-million dollar scheme’, Vertical Bridge files a lawsuit
Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC has filed a lawsuit against competitor Everest Infrastructure Partners (EIP), alleging that it ran an unfair “multi-million dollar scheme to unlawfully improve its market share” at Vertical Bridge’s expense through trade secret misappropriation, interfering with existing contractual relations and false advertising. Vertical Bridge, the tower arm of Digital Bridge, requests that EIP provide an accounting of …
FCC’s report shows Guam’s cell site outage at 20%, three weeks after Typhoon Mawar crippled the island’s power
After Typhoon Mawar tore through Guam, the second largest U.S. territory, on May 24, the FCC identified that 60% of its 327 cell sites were down. Two days later, it increased to 70%. However, in today’s report, that number has considerably improved, with the agency showing that only 19.9% are out of service. Seven were due to damage, ten due …
While burning contractors and suppliers, Nexius’s facade exposed a possible terrorist cell site security hole
As Nexius used ‘every trick’ to keep contractors working, although the company knew they would never pay them, the wireless infrastructure developer reportedly continued scamming T-Mobile by using a Nexius-aligned company in Lebanon that was prohibited from accessing T-Moble’s network – possibly exposing a network security threat to the nation’s second-largest mobile operator, according to sources familiar with the ruse. When …
Tillman Infrastructure’s Hillabrant to take the reins of Vantage Towers
European towerco Vantage Towers has announced Christian Hillabrant as its new chief executive officer (CEO) and said the appointment is expected to take effect in approximately two months. Hillabrant’s current role is Chief Operating Officer at Tillman Infrastructure, the rapidly growing tower company based in the United States. Hillabrant was appointed to the Tower Family Foundation Advisory Committee last year. Hillabrant has …
Not a typical gin pole, Matt’s Arm provides a safer, quicker and more profitable pick at any level
Matt’s Arm is the newest tool in the tower industry, and contractors say there is no other tool that is so versatile since it adapts to most all tower types and lifting needs. It’s quickly becoming an essential tool for contractors’ crews. For decades, there had yet to be a serious design change in an industry stalwart, the venerable but cumbersome …
Bernard Borghei joins Tower Engineering Professionals as its new Chief Revenue Officer
Tower Engineering Professionals (“TEP”), a leading full-service provider of engineering and maintenance services to the tower, mobile network, and other telecom infrastructure customers, welcomes Bernard Borghei as its new Chief Revenue Officer. Borghei is the Co-Founder and former Executive Vice President of Operations of Vertical Bridge and has over 29 years of experience in the wireless telecom and infrastructure …
QualTek Services files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with hopes that its debt can be cut almost in half
Wireless infrastructure developer QualTek Services warned earlier this month that it would need to obtain alternative sources of capital or otherwise meet its liquidity needs and/or restructure its existing indebtedness through the protections available under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The Blue Bell, Pennsylvania company filed for bankruptcy today in the Southern District of Texas, identifying that it had …
Driver is electrocuted while unloading aerial lift for California cell site project
According to authorities, a 37-year-old Fresno, CA, equipment rental delivery driver was electrocuted Wednesday while offloading an aerial lift in Parlier, CA, that would be utilized by a tower crew performing services on a nearby cell tower. Officials say that Jaun Abriz was employed by H&E Equipment Services and struck an electrical wire at about 9:00 a.m. Those responding to …
Sadly, the first fatal fall in 2023 took the life of a 33-year-old tower technician in Kansas
Burial services were held today in Las Piedras, Puerto Rico, for 33-year-old tower technician Frankie Rivera-Rivera who succumbed from his injuries after falling from a 350-foot tower in Andover, Kansas, on May 9. According to individuals knowledgeable of the incident, Rivera and a co-worker were reportedly performing maintenance services for AT&T on a tower off Zenith Rd., owned by Harmoni …
A taste of 5G spectrum offerings is more easily explained using its constituent flavors
By John Paleski Mobile broadband businesses were eager to shell out over $120 billion during FCC auctions to acquire spectrum blocks to roll out 5G. That’s understandable since they needed it to lay the groundwork for fifth-generation wireless services. However, understanding what 5G is and the spectrums used to offer transformational speeds and capabilities that can open the door to …
Harmoni Towers announces the appointment of Yannis Macheras as its CEO
Yannis Macheras Harmoni Towers, a portfolio company of Palistar Capital LP, an alternative asset manager focused on mission-critical communications infrastructure, has announced the appointment of Yannis Macheras as chief executive officer of Harmoni, effective immediately. Macheras was previously CEO of Parallel Infrastructure and joined Harmoni in November 2022 when Harmoni acquired Parallel. Macheras is a well-known leader in the telecommunications sector, having held senior roles …
CWA’s questionable climber injury and death rate data from their survey get a fact checking F from experts
The Communications Workers of America’s (CWA) Tower Climbers Union published the results of a survey designed by tower technicians Thursday with critical findings showing that their members’ safety is being compromised. The press release announcing the study said more than 65% of technicians have been on a job site where someone has been injured and 4% where someone has been killed, a horrific life-shattering …
Vertical Bridge appoints Ronald Bizick as President and CEO, Alex Gellman becomes Executive Chairman
Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC, the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure in the United States, today announced the appointment of Ronald G. Bizick, II as President and Chief Executive Officer effective May 2, 2023. Bizick has served as President and Chief Operating Officer since joining the Company in March 2022. Current CEO and Co-Founder Alex Gellman will become …
Virginia Congressman Wittman’s tower site visit deepens his knowledge of NATE members’ importance
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and member companies Crown Castle, MILLENNIA Contracting, Inc., and Network Building + Consulting today facilitated an opportunity for Congressman Rob Wittman to conduct a communications tower site visit in the First Congressional District of Virginia. During the site visit, Congressman Wittman toured a 283-foot, self-supporting Crown Castle communications tower and compound with event participants …
TIA’s BEAD summit will thread the way for contractors and suppliers to take advantage of $42 billion in funding
Recent trade shows have explored opportunities that will become available through the Broadband Access and Employment Program’s (BEAD) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), providing States approximately $42 billion to deploy broadband in America where it is not located. However, they were typically 45-minute sessions that often scratched the surface, leaving many unanswered questions. Fortunately, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) is …
Alabama state agency is saddened by a tower tech’s death, but it appears that they caused it
Some of the Alabama Forestry Commission’s (AFC) key roles are to protect wildlife, such as inventorying gopher tortoise burrows to improve their habitat. However, its overriding mission is to protect forests from harm. Unfortunately, the state agency failed miserably to protect a Deatsville AFC communications technician last year. As a result, Brett Savage died when a guyed tower that was …
Deutsche Telekom captures majority control of T-Mobile U.S.
Germany’s Deutsche Telekom now has majority ownership of T-Mobile U.S., Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hottges said Wednesday during the company’s annual in Bonn. “We have the majority and are the largest shareholder of the world’s most valuable telecommunications company, T-Mobile U.S.,” Hottges said. An SEC filing dated March 31, 2023, shows that Deutsche Telekom and its subsidiaries hold 53.9 percent …
