Wireless contractors have recently raised the distinct possibility that due to what they identify as ‘onerous’ payment terms and other issues created by carriers and tower owners, the industry could see a shakeout, and all of the recent successful legislative moves to speed up the implementation of 5G in America could be stymied as cash flow problems keep contractors from …
‘Tower Woman’s’ standoff pales compared to ‘Tower Guy’s’ six-day televised rescue
A 29-year-old woman was arrested Thursday night after she climbed to the top of a 300-foot SBA Communications self-supporting tower in Wooster, Ohio, and refused to come down, taunting police and emergency personnel as she traversed diagonals in flip-flops. After a three-hour standoff that drew dozens of rescue workers and hundreds of spectators, Jessica Lee McCarty descended the tower on …
‘Disruptive’ tower builder Tillman gets bankrolled with a billion dollars
Build-to-suit developer Tillman Infrastructure, currently building sites in over 36 states across the U.S., will receive up to $1 billion in additional funding from La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and global investment manager AMP Capital, with an initial investment of $500 million. Tillman’s biggest clients are AT&T and Verizon. Both carriers last year announced a joint …
Telamon announces acquisition of Oklahoma turnkey firm CLS Group
Telamon Corporation has increased its national presence with the acquisition of CLS Group, a leading provider of site acquisition, design, engineering, and construction services in the telecom industry and land services to the Oil & Gas industry. Headquartered in Edmond, Oklahoma, CLS Group holds licensure in 48 states across the country. The integration of CLS’s services into Telamon’s Deployment Ready …
Future telecom profitability is not seen as especially robust: BDO Global Survey
Telecommunications companies surveyed for the 2018 BDO Telecom Risk Factor Survey are feeling a little more assured that there will be a successful future as compared to previous surveys, but BDO Global’s findings indicate that “dramatic changes in the political, business and economic environment means new risks are appearing the horizon,” and the industry must adapt to rapidly changing market …
Transparency bill ushered in to order early release of FCC’s draft documents
Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger has introduced H.R. 6422, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Transparency Act, which would require the FCC to publish on their website the documents to be considered by the Commission at least 21 days ahead of a vote, a pilot plan introduced by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai last year. Upon introduction of H.R. 6422, Kinzinger released this statement: “As a member of the …
NATE partners with Teltronic Towers to host U.S. SBA and OSHA tower-site visit
Last Thursday, NATE partnered with founding member company Teltronic Towers, Inc. to host officials from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and OSHA at a communications tower site in Frederick, Md. During the visit, officials from U.S. SBA and OSHA witnessed in real-time a Teltronic Towers crew replacing cellular antennas with upgraded antennas and equipment at a monopole site. The U.S. …
Appeals court rejects ‘wrong license’ ruling, reviving subcontractor’s $18.1 million lawsuit
License only becomes a concern in a ploy to not pay for millions of dollars of work, plaintiff says UPDATE: October 26, 2018 – MP Nexlevel of California, Inc., and defendant and counter and cross-claimant CVIN, LLC, dba Vast Networks, filed a stipulation to dismiss the entire action with prejudice. In light of the stipulation, and the previous dismissal of claims against …
B+T Group has Roshek heading up field services as its Vice President
B+T Group Inc. announced today that Sonya Roshek has joined the company as Vice President of Field Services. The Tulsa, Okla.-based company is continuing its push to grow nationally, providing services to major telecommunications carriers, tower owners and asset managers with a wide variety of engineering, construction and technical needs. Roshek is a results-driven telecommunications and technology executive with 20+ years …
AT&T needs to put part of their newfound billion dollars into workers’ billfolds
Commentary AT&T recently increased their wireless revenue just south of $1 billion by sneaking in an increased “administrative fee,” a line item squeezed in at the bottom of their monthly bill that will not be noticed by most of their 64.5 million wireless customers since it’s only $1.23 extra a month. In a statement to Fortune after being called out …
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 …
Foremen getting unique opportunity to help set the creation of certification guidelines
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) is reaching out to the industry’s thousands of tower foremen to complete a survey to provide their valuable input to ensure the new NWSA Certified Foreman Examination accurately reflects today’s work environment, regulations, and technology. This new certification for the telecommunications Industry will define a set of criteria to verify that candidates have achieved …
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 …
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 …
O’Rielly opens up about opening up more wireless services spectrum
During an interview by Kathleen Quinn Abernathy yesterday, special counsel for Wilkinson, Barker Knauer at ConnectX in Charlotte, N.C., Commissioner Micael O’Rielly discussed FCC priorities, emphasizing the need to open up more wireless services spectrum and to further streamline deployment. He noted one “bad actor” community that recently wanted to charge $4,000 per small cell for deployment. The company nixed …
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 …
FCC Commissioner Carr gets an enlightening Cook’s tour of tower site work
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr today conducted a site visit to a communications tower located in Noblesville, Ind. The tour was facilitated by representatives from NATE, Crown Castle and Heartland Solutions Corporation. During his time spent on site, Carr visited with technicians and staff from NATE member companies Heartland Solutions and Crown Castle to discuss the work that is conducted on …
Risk categorization in accordance with ANSI/TIA-222-H and the 2018 IBC detailed
The Wireless Industry Association and the Telecommunications Industry Foundation published a white paper today to provide clarity and insight regarding the risk category for a new or existing communication structure by comparing the risk categories from Rev H (Table 2-1) to the risk categories defined in IBC for buildings and other structures. The document is available here. The ANSI/TIA-222 Standard …
CommScope’s stock gets hammered after company issues new guidance
CommScope Holding Company’s shares tanked Tuesday after the communication network infrastructure provider’s first quarter report was released. The stock closed today at $27.59, down $10.63, a 27.81% drop. CommScope bested analysts’ efforts across the board, but it revised its guidance to reflect new challenges caused by price reductions in the US. The $5.35 billion company left its expected revenue range …
