CTIA figures show that the number of cell towers is expected to grow from 175,000 to 260,000 in 2010. That represents a 48% increase.
It is clear that many municipalities expected that the growth of cell towers had slowed- not increased in pace. We spoke to a planner director in a top 10 city who suggested that she currently had 85 new applications in- and that the shear number of applications were preventing her from focusing on other planning matters. (She also said that some of the site ac/zoning contractors were some of her worst constituents to deal with- apparently they believe they are entitled to immediate review and can’t understand that they are in line).
Many municipalities wrongfully believed that they had already experienced the worst- but that is frankly incorrect. The industry has already gotten the easy sites- the industrial and commercial sites- now the carriers are looking to infill the more difficult areas to cover and are willing to pay for that coverage. New applications are being submitted in residential areas- where historically the municipality had no issue with keeping them out. From my own data- there are far more stealth type structures being proposed- partially because zoning and planning commissions are getting smarter.
If you are a municipality- feel free to post your experience or contact us directly for more information.
3 thoughts on “Number of Cell Towers Expected to Grow Significantly by 2010”
Is there an exact number of towers in the U.S. Broadcast, Cell, and electric?
Unfortunately, I don’t know the answer to this question.
Rough guess on the number of cell towers in the US is 150,000 to 175,000.