Wireless Industry Structure
This chapter/module focuses on the structure and operation of the US wireless industry.
Traditional cellular telephone carriers provide what is known and regulated by the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as commercial mobile radio service
(CMRS) or commercial mobile service. The focus of this text is larger in scope,
encompassing the mobile wireless marketplace that includes government regulated
frequency spectrum and the physical development of infrastructure facilities.
This module describes the structure of organizations involved in cell site infrastructure
deployment explains some general parameters about this sector of the larger telecom
industry that support an argument for the critical role and importance to facility-based
wireless operators of real estate permits and real property entitlements.
Wireless industry structure topics:
Wireless Facilities-based Telecom
Wireless industry carriers that are facility-based engage in capital investment, site
acquisition, infrastructure development, and network operations, both on their own
and thru contracts with infrastructure developers, tower companies, equipment
suppliers, turf vendors, and contractors. See more…
Wireless Industry Site Development Agreements
Several of the largest wireless carriers have a history of selling large portfolios of
tower sites to tower companies in exchange for cash— billions of dollars of cash.
The carriers use the cash to buy frequency spectrum and to build new wireless
facilities. Sale-leaseback deals result with the carrier, as a tenant, paying a pre-
arranged rent to the tower company, as the new site owner. See more…
Communications Site Structure Sharing
Where it is not feasible to build a new antenna structure, wireless facilities may
be collocated on an existing structure. The large national wireless carriers have
established MLAs among themselves and with tower companies. MLAs specify
processes, provide guidelines, and facilitate site space agreements between
business entities. An exhibit template for individual site leases or license
agreements (SLAs) is attached to each MLA. Each new SLA becomes an exhibit
to the MLA to add equipment to an existing structure, presumably already
loaded with the equipment of other wireless providers. See more…
Wireless Industry Trends
The wireless world has experienced many explosive changes over the past 10 years,
including the expectation that mobile data traffic over wireless systems will increase
a thousand-fold, the effect this growth has on the number of cell sites needed to
handle the traffic, how small antenna sites (with minimal demands for space) are
utilized as a strategy to serve areas where traditional cell site facilities aren’t feasible,
the entrance into the wireless market by a national satellite operators and a national
government-sponsored public safety network (the equivalent of another national
carrier network), and the rapidly increasing value of fiber-optic transport systems
joining traditional cell sites to small antenna facilities (fronthaul) and linking cell
sites to mobile switching centers, data centers, and other network hubs (backhaul).
Another trend has been cable television MSOs getting into the wireless business,
and finally Congress authorizing tens of billions of dollars to all US states through
numerous government programs. See more…
State of The Art Technology
While 5G is growing, it is expected to blossom throughout this decade. Microcell
sites are expected to lead the way. The frequency spectrum has been tested to
support the expanded development of microcell site technology and 5G
applications in the new frequency spectrum.3 In addition to the frequency
spectrum, also known as wireless broadband, all wireless facilities require real
estate rights or entitlements. Small cells, 5G, and the IoT will require significant
wireless site and permitting efforts through the 2020s by qualified consultants.
See more…
FirstNet
One dynamic expansion of wireless infrastructure in recent years has been in the
public safety sector. The program, called FirstNet,1 is an independent authority
within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)2
whose mission is to provide law enforcement, firefighters, paramedics, and other
emergency service first responders with a nationwide, high-speed, broadband
network dedicated to public safety. FirstNet was created by the Middle-Class
Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, Section 6204. See more…
DISH
On July 31, 2019, DISH unveiled an updated new plan for its network buildout
based on a the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint merger.4 Under the agreement
made between T-Mobile, Sprint, DISH, and the Anti-Trust Department of the
Department of Justice (DOJ) DISH was required to deploy a national network
capable of serving 20% of the U.S. population by June 14, 2020. DISH further
committed that its facilities-based 5G broadband network will be capable of
serving 70 percent of the U.S. population by June 14, 2023 and more greater
deployment requirement for 2025. See more…
Wireless Industry Fiber-Optic Transport
Attesting to the value of fiber-optic transport systems in the wireless ecosystem
is the number of fiber networks purchased by wireless carriers and tower
companies in recent years. The business opportunity for tower companies in
fiber-optic transport is the horizontal placement of users along the transport
route, not unlike users located vertically on a communications tower,
according to Crown Castle CEO Jay Brown.3
The growth of fiber-optic transport services (FOTS) in public and private rights
-of-way represents a significant business opportunity for wireless site acquisition
and permitting as well as right-of-way consultants. See more…
Wireless Industry Government Regulation
Since frequency spectrum is allocated by the FCC on behalf of the federal
government to existing and would-be wireless carriers, the FCC is obliged to serve
as the lead government agency to regulate the commercial mobile services or
wireless industry. Numerous federal laws and actions foster the creation,
development, nurturing, and protection of the commercial mobile services sector,
including arrangements to increase frequency spectrum availability.1 As such,
federal regulatory oversight is an ongoing critical aspect of the wireless industry
structure.
For instance, a provision in Section 704 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996
restricts local jurisdictions from prohibiting or having the effect to prohibit the
provision of personal wireless services, unreasonably discriminating among
providers of functionally equivalent services, and “regulating the placement,
construction, and modification of wireless facilities on the basis of the
environmental effects of radio frequency emissions to the extent that such
facilities comply with” federal regulations.2
In Section 6409(a) of the Middle-Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012,
local governments are mandated not to deny but instead to approve permit
requests for collocations on existing wireless towers, as long as the physical
dimensions of the existing tower are not substantially increased.3 These and
other actions by the federal government discussed in this section can advance
national siting policy for wireless facilities. See more…
Wireless Facility Project Management
Wireless site acquisition consultants (SACs)—or, as they represent wireless
facility developers to property owners and communities, site acquisition
agents—perform and manage tasks to secure real estate entitlements for
wireless infrastructure investment, construction, and operation on behalf of
wireless carriers, fiber-optic transport carriers (fibercos), towercos, equipment
suppliers, turf vendors, and specialty contractor firms. Our clients are, therefore,
wireless site investors, developers, and operators. Once sites are constructed
and operational, the wireless carrier and the site owner become facility operators,
though they may be one in the same. See more…
Characteristics of Wireless Industry Site Acquisition Work
It’s useful to exhibit positive values in the conduct of site acquisition business,
consistent with client expectations. This section expounds on a list of values
that benefit the wireless site acquisition mission and the environment in which
we work.
Cultural values such as these represent virtues that can be nurtured and developed
personally. The importance of espousing these values can’t be overemphasized in
the context of the project management environment and the representation of
wireless clients to property owners, jurisdictional authorities, and neighborhood
groups. See more…
Wireless Industry Site Acquisition Specialties
The Sections of this Handbook lend themselves to study as sub-specializations within
the overall context of wireless site acquisition and permitting. For instance, this first,
orientation section of six chapters/modules provides an appropriate context for the
entry-level roles of project coordinator, real estate specialist, and administrative
support to get a career started in the wireless deployment environment. The next,
site search due diligence section of six chapters/modules is also branded as birddog
training, how to find the good sites. The third, site selection analytics section of three
chapters/modules regarding project data reporting and project cost estimating is
branded project estimator training, working with the project team and internal
systems to choose the best overall site to develop. These three sections a/k/a levels
of training combine overall to compose wireless site selection training, a volume of
content unto itself. See more…
Chapter 2 delves deeper into “The Role of Wireless Site Acquisition” and
Development practitioners.