Multiple vendors at last month’s NATE UNITE 2026 gathering said the same thing: TriStruX’s wireless division was behind on substantial payments and running out of runway. With mounting debt owed to subcontractors and suppliers nationwide, many expected the Clifton, New Jersey–based company to shut down. Less than two weeks later, it did. It is not yet clear whether TriStruX’s other …
Nearly $65B, 158,500 towers, and a shrinking workforce: What WIA’s 2025 ‘By the Numbers’ reveals
The Wireless Infrastructure Association’s fourth annual By the Numbers report documents a sector investing heavily in 5G, AI, and fixed wireless — but with a workforce that contracted by more than 26,000 jobs in a single year, raising serious questions about the pipeline of workers needed to build what comes next. The Wireless Infrastructure Association released its 2025 Wireless Infrastructure …
The sustainability question facing wireless infrastructure
The wireless infrastructure industry has accomplished something remarkable. In just a few decades, an ecosystem of carriers, tower owners, engineers, manufacturers, and contractors has built one of the most important physical networks in modern society. These networks power communication, commerce, emergency response, and public safety across the United States. Behind that infrastructure is a workforce that often operates out of …
Pay the towercos, crews and vendors first: Think tank tells FCC to hold EchoStar’s $40 billion until everyone is paid
The Bull Moose Project has filed with the FCC, arguing that approving EchoStar’s spectrum sales without an escrow to pay unpaid contractors, vendors and tower companies would betray American workers, and poison every future wireless buildout. The conservative think tank has entered the fight over EchoStar’s $40-plus billion spectrum selloff, telling the FCC it should not approve the deals until …
The DISH default crisis: How EchoStar’s spectrum exit could endanger the wireless tower ecosystem
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) commissioned The Brattle Group to assess the economic fallout from DISH’s contract defaults — and the findings warn of rent hikes up to 10.7%, slower 5G and 6G deployment, and destabilized smaller tower companies, with consequences that ultimately reach every American wireless subscriber. In late 2025, DISH Wireless LLC declared its long-term master lease agreements …
Tower Family Foundation recognizes Craig Lekutis with the Guardian Award for his years of dedication
Craig Lekutis, Publisher of Wireless Estimator, and former Tower Family Foundation Board of Directors member, was recognized as the 2026 Guardian Award recipient presented by the Foundation at the NATE UNITE 2026 Awards Luncheon in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Guardian Award recognizes a volunteer who has demonstrated noteworthy, consistent volunteerism in support of the Tower Family Foundation and its beneficiaries. …
The lion, the pig, and the 80,000-pound liability T-Mobile doesn’t want to talk about
Commentary — A driver arrives at a contractor’s staging warehouse to deliver a T-Mobile generator. The big rig driver steps out with the bill of lading. There is an immediate problem. He doesn’t speak English. Rather than attempt to explain which pallet is which, he walks to the back of the trailer and points. On the bill of lading is …
Teltronic Towers leaders join tech CEOs at White House AI summit on reducing power costs
Jeff Tinio and Ray Williams of NATE member company Teltronic Towers were invited to attend President Donald Trump’s Data Center and Artificial Intelligence event at the White House last week, highlighting the growing role communications infrastructure companies play in supporting the rapid expansion of AI and cloud computing. According to Deloitte’s 2024 Telecommunications Industry Outlook, the rapid growth of artificial …
A 6,000 macro tower build could kick off the next U.S. rural infrastructure cycle
Building roughly 6,000 new macro towers—about 1,200 per year—would equal five to six years of typical U.S. tower construction and could extend 5G coverage to roughly 99% of Americans, according to T-Mobile CTO John Saw. The buildout would close most remaining rural coverage gaps but would not end macro tower construction, which would likely continue at a slower pace as …
OSHA waits until the eleventh hour to cite Trace Wireless after a 50‑foot fall killed their tower tech
Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforcement records recently published show the agency cited internet service provider Trace Wireless, LLC, with three “Serious” safety violations connected to the July 14, 2025, tower fatality that killed 46‑year‑old Calvin Wayne Sellars in Trinity County, Texas. The citations were issued January 14, 2026, and carried a total proposed penalty of $14,895 ($4,965 each). …
Industry leaders recognized at NATE awards ceremony; Cliff Barbieri receives top service honor
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association honored a distinguished group of leaders for their contributions to the organization and industry. The following honorees were presented their awards at the NATE UNITE 2026 Awards Recognition Luncheon in Las Vegas, Nevada: Bill Carlson Lifetime Service Award Cliff Barbieri spent five years in the AirForce working on aircraft navigation and radar systems. In …
Texas balloon strike on Vertical Bridge 1,100-foot broadcast tower triggers high-angle rescue
UPDATE (March 5, 2026) – The hot air balloon that became entangled on a broadcast tower north of Longview, TX, was safely removed by Tower King technicians Marshall Salsman and his nephew Adrian Salsman, who used specialized rigging and a cable-suspended work platform more than 900 feet in the air to lower the balloon’s gondola and retrieve the canopy. After …
The abuse has been hiding in plain sight. Now wireless infrastructure contractors have a number to call.
Due to NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association’s advocacy, carriers have established reporting hotlines for unsafe and uncertified crews and companies, but using them comes with risks, and not all hotlines are created equal. It would be foolish to think that the three major carriers — at the infrastructure build management level — are unaware of the flagrant workforce abuses …
Carriers made promises to the FCC, but contractors are still waiting to be made whole
For the first time in recent memory, contractors working on America’s wireless infrastructure have commitments from AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. These agreements address pricing, payment terms, audit practices, and the use of unlicensed crews that industry leaders say have long suppressed wages and undercut legitimate businesses. Although they are not binding, the agreements, secured over fourteen months by NATE: The …
Industry leader Dave Mayo joins Ontivity’s Board at a time of accelerated expansion of 250 crews
Ontivity, a leading national provider of digital infrastructure services, with more than 700 professionals and 250 field crews, today announced the appointment of Dave Mayo to its Board of Directors. The company said his appointment comes at an exciting time in the company’s evolution as it enters the next phase of national expansion. Many of the company’s executives are attending …
From gold medal grit to Iron Cowboy guts: NATE’s keynote speaker momentum builds
NATE is once again betting that powerful stories of grit and perseverance resonate with the tower workforce — and if last year’s hockey hero set the tone, this year’s keynote speaker is prepared to push the concept of endurance even further. The world-renowned ultra-endurance athlete James Lawrence — better known globally as the Iron Cowboy — will deliver the keynote address …
Meet many of the NATE volunteer committee members who power the association from the inside
Most attendees at NATE UNITE 2026 this week will see the education sessions, the packed exhibit hall, and the high-profile speakers. What many don’t see are the men and women working quietly behind the scenes all year long. They are typically humble about their contributions — and that’s part of their culture — but their impact on the telecommunications infrastructure …
At NATE UNITE 2026, one Las Vegas climber’s calling embodies the industry’s enduring spirit
When the doors open this morning at NATE UNITE 2026 in Las Vegas, the crowd will span generations — from first-time 18-year-old tower technicians eager to soak up safety training and new ideas, to seasoned executives guiding the nation’s largest tower portfolios. And somewhere among the thousands of attendees, moving with the quiet familiarity of someone who’s seen it all …
From contractor grumblings to “Rumble on the Tower,” NATE UNITE 2026 packs a full agenda
From addressing contractor grumblings over workforce, compliance, and pricing pressures to a new event, “Rumble on the Tower,” NATE UNITE 2026 this week is delivering one of its most wide-ranging programs in recent memory, blending hard-edge operational education with a growing emphasis on workforce wellness, safety, and community support. Their show guide is available here. Set at Caesars Forum, the …
NATE locks in 2026 executive team, re-upping Drouin, Scott and Young
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today announced that Board of Directors members Victor Drouin, Randy Scott, and Mike Young have been selected by their peers to serve on the Association’s Executive Committee for the upcoming year. The announcement was made on the opening day of the NATE UNITE 2026 Conference and Trade Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Victor Drouin, …
