BROWSING: Towers

N.C. state officials investigating deadly fall from cell tower

WASHINGTON-North Carolina officials are probing the death of a worker who fell from a cell phone tower on Feb. 9. "We have an investigator assigned and he is working on it," said Kevin Beauregard, assistant deputy commissioner for the North Carolina Department of Labor.North...

Weekly wireless ratings wrap-up

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.CarriersPrudential Equity Group lowered its price target and estimates on iPCS Inc. after the company reported first-quarter results, including revenue and ARPU results that fell...

Wireless could transform mining communications

It seems like hardly a week has gone by lately without a miner tragedy or a near-tragedy in the news. As the media shines its light on the mining industry, it's clear that mining communications is ripe for modernization. Today most mines have hard-wired...

Weekly wireless ratings wrap-up

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.CarriersMerrill Lynch lowered its fiscal 2006 EPS estimate on Alltel Corp. from $3.58 to $3.45 following mixed fourth-quarter results. Robert W. Baird introduced forecasts for...

Balloon tower firm elevates trial system in rural N.D.

Floating towers soon may give some rural North Dakotans better wireless voice and data coverage. Next month, Chandler, Ariz.-based Space Data Corp. is set to trial its latex communications balloons with Extend America, a North Dakota fixed broadband provider and Sprint Nextel Corp. iDEN...

Licenses likely quick to follow TD-SCDMA standard for China

The Chinese government has given its homegrown TD-SCDMA technology a thumbs up, calling it an officially backed standard, the Xinhua news agency reported. China's Ministry of Information Industry said the technology is "already mature and ready for manufacturers to move ahead with production."Industry analysts...

DVB-H alliance formed

LAS VEGAS-What do Intel Corp., Modeo L.L.C., Motorola Inc., Nokia Corp. and Texas Instruments Inc. all have in common? They are all eager to promote Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld, an open standard for broadcast digital TV reception on mobile devices. The companies formed the Mobile...

Global Tower picks up 200+ towers

BOCA RATON, Fla.-Global Tower Partners says it's scooping up 209 towers and 24 tower sites under construction as part of an agreement to purchase the wireless assets of TCP Communications, a Massachusetts-based tower company. The deal brings GTP's nationwide collection of owned towers to...

T-Mobile secures roaming deals to expand range: Towers, auction also part of strategy

With little fanfare, T-Mobile USA Inc. has expanded the reach of its network by more than 50 percent, chiefly through 850 MHz roaming agreements that have put the carrier on more competitive footing and mark a shift from its historic 1900 MHz-only platform. Most...

Millicom mulling options

LUXEMBOURG-Mobile operator Millicom International Cellular said it's mulling over its options after receiving "a high number of unsolicited approaches," according to a company statement. According to the Wall Street Journal, the cellular carrier received indications of interest from as many as 10 unnamed companies,...

Sprint Nextel wins two siting cases on opposites sides of the country

WASHINGTON-Two courts on opposite sides of the country have ruled in favor of Sprint Nextel Corp. and against two municipalities that wished to reject tower-siting applications. Both courts said that cities could not enact rules that arbitrarily restricted tower sites."Because the City of La...

Several companies reportedly vying for NYC subway contract

WASHINGTON-Top U.S. mobile phone carriers have joined to bid for rights to offer wireless service in hundreds of subway stations throughout New York City. Cingular Wireless L.L.C., Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc. are bidding for the project. A Cingular spokesman...

Tower activity up with new funding and new player

Investors gave tower companies a thumbs up last week as plans for augmenting or expanding their facilities were greeted with a slew of new financing options. SBA Communications Corp., the nation's fifth-largest tower company, said it obtained a new $160 million credit facility. SBA...

Flo Forum submits MediaFlo to TIA

The first public airing of Qualcomm Inc.'s proprietary MediaFlo technology for mobile TV is taking place as the Flo Forum submitted its specification proposal for the Flo air interface between towers and devices to the Telecommunications Industry Association subcommittee TR-47. The Flo Forum, led...

Flo Forum submits MediaFlo to TIA

FREMONT, Calif.-The first public airing of Qualcomm Inc.'s proprietary MediaFlo technology for mobile TV is taking place as the Flo Forum submitted its specification proposal for the Flo air interface between towers and devices to the Telecommunications Industry Association subcommittee TR-47. The Flo Forum,...

Weekly wireless ratings wrap-up

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.CarriersMorgan Stanley updated its estimates on Verizon Communications following the close of its acquisition of MCI. Fourth-quarter 2005 EPS estimate moves to 62 cents from...

Tower player Optasite scores $65 million credit facility

WESTBOROUGH, Mass.-Tower company Optasite Inc. announced it obtained a new $65 million credit facility. The company said GE Capital Markets Inc. led the financing arrangements.GE Capital Markets was also the lead financer of SBA Communications Corp.'s recently announced $160 million credit facility. SBA is...

SBA signs up $160 million credit facility

BOCA RATON, Fla.-The nation's fifth largest tower company, SBA Communications Corp., said it obtained a $160 million credit facility. GE Capital Markets Inc. led the financing arrangements.SBA noted the new facility replaces its prior facility, which became the mortgage loan underlying its recent $405...

Crown Castle’s TV service gets new name, marketing campaign

Crown Castle International Corp.'s media subsidiary debuted a new name and marketing campaign amid details about its plans to use its tower network and unencumbered spectrum rights to launch live mobile TV in the nation's top 30 markets, including a launch in New York...

Crown Castle’s Modeo plans $500 million mobile TV network

HOUSTON-Crown Castle International Corp.'s subsidiary, Crown Castle Mobile Media L.L.C., said it plans to use its tower network and its unencumbered spectrum rights to launch live mobile TV to the nation's top 30 markets. The company also said it plans to deliver video and...

GPS, Wi-Fi teaming up for location services

Growth of the wireless location-pinpointing industry is evident with a flurry of company announcements. Boston-based Skyhook Wireless said it raised $6.5 million in its first round of Series B financing. The metro Wi-Fi location systems provider said Bain Capital Ventures led the round, along...

Verizon to expand Vcast with CES announcement

Verizon Wireless is expected to make headlines once again at the International Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas, unveiling a full-track mobile music download service. The carrier, which last year launched its Vcast offering at CES, looks to expand the service with...

Top Stories of 2005

Editor's note: At the end of each year, the RCR Wireless News editorial staff looks back on the news events that made headlines and decides which were the most significant, industry-impacting stories during the past 12 months. While our list does not include the...

Grain departs Global Signal, Edens takes over president title

Global Signal Inc. announced that David Grain is stepping down from his position as president of the nation's third-largest tower company. The company said its chairman and chief executive, Wesley Edens, will take on the president's title also. "We appreciate David's efforts on behalf...