As we look back over the first half of 2017, there has been much non-activity on the merger front. Many people (myself included) expected greater merger and acquisition activity but other than a few fiber related transactions, nothing material has transpired. Sprint and T-Mobile are still separate companies, and DISH has not merged with or […]
We have been getting a lot of questions from investors related to FirstNet equipment and the potential impact on TowerCos, with most questions pertaining to the timing and revenue from amendment activity from FirstNet antenna modifications. You may recall that in AT&T FirstNet Revisited, we reviewed the impact of AT&T winning the FirstNet RFP and the […]
With small cells, there is an ongoing controversy about the cost of the small cell infrastructure vs. the aesthetic impact of the pole. There tends to be an inverse relationship between the aesthetic appearance of the pole and the cost- meaning better-looking poles cost more and vice versa. The issue is that not all small […]
In the Florida House of Representatives, a bill is being pushed through to significantly limit the control that a local municipality can exert over small cell installations. The bill also limits the fees that a city may charge for access to municipal poles. In committee hearings, Rep. Nicholas Duran (D-Miami) said that the “City […]
In Penitas, Texas, what appears to be a new small cell pole was erected overnight near a busy thoroughfare. There is a great news story about this in the video below. If you watch the video closely, you will see a small microwave dish at the top which suggests that this is a […]
We have to start off by clarifying that this isn't an April's Fools joke- despite the timing and it feeling like one. On the eve of possible FCC review of their petition to the FCC for relief from small cell siting restrictions at the local level, Mobilitie is busted yet again trying to install 120' poles […]
Implications: T, S, ZAYO, CCI, AIRO, COMM, DY, ERIC, NOK (Disclosure- author holds position in ZAYO) Looks like T's finally cutting over to small-cell investment as S continues to under invest. Carrier capex budgets for 2017 and forecasts for 2018 aren't out yet, but our checks indicate that AT&T, which has to-date been a relative […]
A new competitive dynamic emerges in the fight for densification dominance Tickers: ZAYO, CCI (Disclosure- author holds positions in ZAYO) The deployment of small cells started in earnest in 2015. Two years later, all of the Big 4 wireless carriers have adopted a small cell strategy to handle the 50+% YOY growth in mobile data […]
The Super Bowl LI fans streaming into NRG Stadium in Space City expect to witness a game-winning touchdown that will go viral. However, seeing it once won’t be good enough – not in this retweet world. If you turn back the calendar to July 1969, there was a different type of touchdown trending. The brains […]
As an addendum to our earlier article about Crown Castle and Mobilitie small cell proposed installations in Orlando, we thought it would be helpful to include a drawing of a Verizon proposed small cell from Massachusetts. In this case, Verizon is installing a Cloud Radio Access Network (C-RAN) with two small cells to augment […]