Increasing mobile data consumption and closing the digital divide are big drivers for continued capacity and coverage expansion among mobile network operators. Private tower companies have been most active in new tower builds and M&A activity in response to these market drivers. But scaling a tower company has its challenges – financing, competition, availability of quality assets to acquire. Jack Barry, Chief Financial Officer with Harmoni Towers shares his insights with John Celentano, ...

Co-hosts Patrick Halley, WIA President and CEO, and Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief, discussed the evolution of satellite-to-phone, direct-to-device (D2D) technology with Tim Farrar, founder of TMF Associates. Tim founded his consultancy in 2002 to undertake technical, market and financial consulting across the satellite and telecom sectors. In this discussion, Farrar explains how D2D technology allows standard smartphones to access satellite networks, and highlights th...

Residents often push back on new tower developments in their communities for various reasons – location of the tower, how it looks, health risks and lowering of property values. The last point is often the focus of much discussion and debate at municipal hearings. Is this a valid concern for residents? Rod Carter and Jake Remington, Partners in the Telecom Law practice at Husch Blackwell, discuss with John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor, the issues and suggested approaches for...

Modern mounting systems for digital infrastructure equipment go beyond basic frames—they're adaptable, configurable, and designed to secure active gear while providing organized pathways for power and signal cables. Calvin Waskey, with the National Sales team at Allfasteners, discusses with John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor, some unique aspects of the company’s mounting systems and where these products are in demand. Support the show

Co-hosts Patrick Halley, WIA CEO and President, and Jim Fryer, Inside Towers Managing Editor, recently chatted with Arpan Sura, Senior Counsel to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Chief AI Officer, on their Wireless Water Cooler podcast. In this lively talk, Sura discusses a variety of issues including the Commission’s Build America agenda focused on unleashing high-speed infrastructure builds, restoring America’s leadership in wireless, and strengthening America’s tower and telecom workfo...

Large organizations deal with a lot of data and information that is often in silos and not shared among internal groups. Digital infrastructure projects, for example, involve site acquisition and permitting, engineering, construction and ongoing operations and maintenance. Infrastructure businesses save time and money when all groups in the company can access data across the entire process. Paul Alder, Vice President-Delivery at OneVizion speaks with Inside Tower Business Editor, John Celent...

Demand for fiber connectivity is at an all-time high. Both dark and lit fiber are in demand for connections to towers, enterprises, and data centers, and for middle-mile routes connecting fiber-to-the-home deployments. Fiber strand counts and optical transmission speeds are increasing dramatically. And the mix of national, regional and smaller fiber operators is constantly churning. Tyler Coates, Chief Revenue Officer at FiberLight talks with John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Edito...

Wireless, fiber, and data center markets are projected to grow in 2025 and in subsequent years. Nonetheless, these markets are encountering challenges due to the prevailing macroeconomic conditions. These factors collectively influence the telecom supply chain in both beneficial and adverse manners. Gus Vasilakis, VP of Canada Sales & Global Business Development at Power & Tel, discusses with John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor, how suppliers and distributors are managing i...

Building and managing digital infrastructure —whether it’s towers, fiber networks, or data centers—is a multifaceted challenge, requiring precise coordination across design, construction, and ongoing operations. Brant Carter, VP-Product at Sitetracker, discusses with John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor, overarching industry trends and how the company’s 'Full Asset Lifecycle Management' platform meets the moment. Brant dives into the industry's shift toward data-driven de...

Digital twins have become a powerful tool for TowerCos - helping to uncover hidden revenue, reduce costs, and improve decision-making. But misconceptions about site data and operations are still costing TowerCos millions, according to vHive. In this episode, vHive’s CRO Itai Karelic joins Inside Towers' John Celentano to break down five costly myths to reveal how digital twins can unlock untapped value. From unbilled equipment to costly rework, learn how TowerCos are turning hidden risk...

Although designed to last a long time, towers undergo continual loading changes as mobile network operators and wireless service providers add, upgrade or replace their transmission equipment. And towers must withstand constant changes in the weather. Mike Seymour, President and Bryan Lanier, Vice President-Operations at Congruex Wireless Solutions talk with John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor about structural engineering considerations for towers, along with new processes and solut...

Human trafficking involves the exploitation of men, women and children, for some sort of control or monetary gain. The Telecommunications Against Trafficking and Exploitation, or T.A.T.E., initiative offers guidelines for the many men and women who work in telecom to help prevent such exploitations by knowing what to look for and how to respond. Ashlie Bryant, co-founder and CEO, and Josh Loaiza, business development manager of 3 Strands Global Foundation, and Jim Tracy, CEO of Legacy Enterpr...

Tower companies report an increase in colocation requests from MNOs and other wireless operators, more than for lease amendments on existing sites. Onboarding second or third tenants involves different considerations than hosting the anchor tenant. Harmoni Towers' CCO Chas Peterson and SVP of Business Development Aaron Bloom discuss these key colocation considerations with Inside Towers Business Editor John Celentano. Support the show

Co-hosts Patrick Halley, WIA CEO and President, and Jim Fryer, Inside Towers Managing Editor recently chatted with Jim Stritzinger, the Director of the South Carolina Broadband Office on the Wireless Water Cooler podcast. In this lively and candid half-hour talk, the focus is on innovative ways the public and private sectors can partner to ensure the federal funding from NTIA’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program is optimized for states and their residents to bridge the di...

Tower climbers work in all kinds of weather that affect their health and safety, especially in hot and humid conditions. Industry and government agencies are making a concerted effort to establish appropriate Heat Injury and Illness Prevention safety standards and practices in construction industries but some of these may be difficult to adhere to as written for our tower climbers. Bryant Bertrand, CEO of Ronin Revolution, and Kathy Stieler, Director of Safety, Health & Compliance at NAT...

We often hear about municipalities or individuals pushing back on new cell tower developments in their communities over location or aesthetics. A recent case involved two competing tower companies that went to court over a siting dispute with an interesting outcome. Rod Carter, Partner, Jake Remington, Senior Counsel, and Joe Diedrich, Senior Associate, all with Husch Blackwell’s Telecom Law Practice, offer a briefing on the case and what transpired in conversation with John Celentano, Inside...

In the U.S., large public tower companies hold a substantial portion of the communications towers in operation. The remainder are owned and managed by numerous smaller private companies that support a range of mobile network operators and other wireless service providers. Private tower companies often can be more agile and offer custom services to their customers. But there are challenges. Yannis Macheras, CEO of Harmoni Towers discusses with John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor, so...

This is your Inside Towers Weekly Recap for the week of August 5, 2024. For more wireless infrastructure news, subscribe to our newsletter here. Support the show

The digital infrastructure business continues to be dynamic and challenging. Bernard Borghei, tower company veteran and CEO of Symphony Wireless, shares his perspectives and outlook on the wireless market and overall digital infrastructure ecosystem with John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor. Support the show

Fiber optic systems are used everywhere to provide high speed connections to buildings, towers, and data centers. Increasing demand for high-speed data, streaming video and burgeoning AI-enabled services is driving construction and expansion of fiber routes to provide more connectivity. At the same time, the market has become a mix of large and small fiber operators, all competing for a piece of the business. Tyler Coates, Chief Revenue Officer at FiberLight discusses with John Celentano, Ins...