Cell sites on air for 2005

Projections from the Stanford Group suggest that there will be between 14,000 and 15,000 cell sites turned on in 2005 across the United States by the largest Wireless Service Providers.

This compares with the same amount last year. These projections are based on the capital budgets provided by the carriers- which Stanford Group estimates will be about 11% higher than 2004.

From my practical experience, it is difficult to project the number of new cell towers this will lead to. Depending upon the market, anywhere from 1/4 to 3/4’s of the new cell sites could be on existing towers. That still leaves a minimum of 3500 new cell towers being build in 2005.