Selecting Cell Tower Locations

Do you have potential cell tower locations? Here’s our brief cell tower leasing qualifier. Most cell tower developers like Crown, American Tower or SBA Communications will need a minimum of 50 feet x 50 feet but more likely 100 feet x 100 feet of rentable ground space for new cell tower locations they are seeking. Cellular carriers may also be looking for the same amount of ground space, but the difference between the carriers and the developers is that the carriers also sell their wireless subscriptions and generate revenue of of the data and minutes, while the tower companies only make money off of the subleasing of space to other carriers. That is why landlords need a professional like Airwave Management to structure the lease agreement properly so that property owners are maximizing their values on these cell site locations.

AirWave Management is a leader in cellular site leasing and development. Our Principals have identified, leased and developed over 1,000 cell tower sites in the United States over the last 25 years for all major wireless carriers and their own consulting firms.

As a cellular tower leasing and management company we are actively seeking landlords and building owners of existing cell tower sites with additional available rooftop space or ground space where we can bring additional wireless carriers to deploy antennas on a cell tower or rooftop cell site. We can also advise landlords on how to structure their leases to receive a substantial cash infusion up front while retaining a long term financial benefit.

What kind of Cell Tower Locations are Cellular carriers looking for?

1. Flat Rooftops in urban and suburban areas are the primary cell tower locations the carriers target. The structures can be office buildings or industrial parks, factories, medical centers or hotels, schools, apartment buildings, or shopping centers. Sites frequently selected for cellular development average around 40-55 feet in height and are generally from 3 to 7 stories high.

Buildings should not be on any Historical Registers, EPA or Superfund locations, or preserved or designated green conservation areas.

They can be zoned in residential, commercial, industrial or even agricultural (for mounting on silos or barns). AT&T and Verizon Wireless have prefabricated equipment shelters that are around 360 ft. sq., and generally get placed on the roof of a building. Other carriers such as Sprint-Nextel, Metro PCS, ClearWire or T-Mobile take up much less rooftop space.

Your available rooftop space (and municipal wireless ordinance) will determine how many carriers you can deploy onto the roof. Additionally, some equipment cabinets can be placed inside the building or even located in the basement or externally if required.

2. Raw Land and Ground Space leasing is also a major focus of cell phone service providers, especially outside of urban areas where rooftops are not viable options. Even if you already have a cell tower nearby, if the capacity isn't maxed-out yet, soon it will be,thanks to all of the smart-phones and iPhones.

We love our cell phones in the United States and cell towers aren't going to be disappearing ANYTIME soon.

Cellular Carriers are generally looking for sites that have at least 2,000 ft. sq. of available ground space. Same criteria above on potential locations, environmental and historical designations pertain to new cell tower construction.

Make sure that you don't have flooding or wetlands issues. Especially if you have bad cell coverage in your area and your GUT tells you that your property could be a good potential location, you should submit your property information directly to the carriers.

You can get the coordinates and Elevation / AMSL (Above Mean Sea Level) of your property at a great website called Terra Server which can help you in evaluating your site.

Contact Airwave Management Today.

Even if you own a property that seems to be an outstanding potential cell tower location, they carriers more than likely will not need it as the number of suitable property sites far exceeds the need for more cell phone tower locations. However, if you are the owner of a cellular site or know someone who has a cell tower on their property and is looking for additional revenue, please take a few minutes to contact us and tell us about your cell tower locations and one of our Principal Cell Tower Lease Consultants will get in touch with you to discuss how we maybe able to attract additional carriers to your site.