by Sudeep Gupta
The most common question we’re asked is from landlords: “How can I get an operator (AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, etc.) to put a cell tower on my property?” Where an operator decides to locate their cell site is more complex than having a willing landlord, so I thought I’d briefly explain how operators determine where they want to build a new site.
First, all wireless operators are continuously evaluating the quality of their networks, looking for areas where subscribers are seeing poor coverage (called coverage holes), or looking for areas where too many subscribers are trying to use the network at the same time (called congestion). They use a software application called a radio propagation prediction tool to estimate what would happen if they add a new cell site in a given area: does it “fill in” the coverage hole? Does it alleviate the traffic congestion? Does it cause an unexpected radio interference problem somewhere else in the network? After this analysis, the operator specifies a circle on a map (called a search ring) that represents usually a one kilometer area (depending on the type of area to be covered) indicating the optimal place to put a new site.
Next, they hand this search ring to a site acquisition company, whose job it is to find suitable candidates within this search ring. They look at many potential locations: existing towers, empty land where a tower could be erected, roof tops, or other structures. With each location, they determine its suitability. Can the existing tower handle the additional weight of the equipment? Is the building of the right height — is it tall enough to provide the proper coverage or is it too tall and would cause interference elsewhere in the network?
In recent years, the competitive nature of the wireless industry has forced operators to ask another question: is the cost of rent within their budget? Operators have only a finite budget to build new sites— and each year, their budgets get smaller and smaller— so they have to determine how to expand their networks while staying within a budget.
Finally, once all of these factors have been studied and weighed, the operator can make a selection on where to start the process to build a new site, which is a lengthy enough process that we should save discussion on that for another post.
