Question about new cell tower

cmckenica said:

Well consider me lucky, but Verizon leased some land about 1,500 ft away from my house to put up a new cell tower. Here's the catch:
I'm not on Verizon. I'm on AT&T.
So, I'm still researching about cell towers, but I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this. When a cell company (Verizon) leases land for a new tower, can other carriers be added on to that tower? It would be nice to see AT&T and Verizon both have better coverage here (Because quite frankly, they both suck at the moment).
Thanks,
Connor

Phone: iPhone 4S (AT&T)

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no they have separate towers and their spectrums/technologies are different. AT&T might not do anything with your area since Verizon beat them to it

The carrier that owns the tower can lease physical space on said tower to other carriers to install their own antennas, cabling, and base station equipment. The owner can also lease internet access to the tower or the carrier leasing the tower can provide their own internet connection.

Carrier's rarely do this as the cost to lease tower space for a few years is about the cost it is to build a tower of their own.

tymaster50 said:

no they have separate towers and their spectrums/technologies are different. AT&T might not do anything with your area since Verizon beat them to it

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False. Leasing space on towers to other carriers happens all the time. Host carriers see it as a way of making income even from competitors, and tenant carriers get the obvious benefit of having ready made structures that they just attach their radios and install cabling and cabinets upon.

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Intell said:

Carrier's rarely do this as the cost to lease tower space for a few years is about the cost it is to build a tower of their own.

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Also false. There are lots of areas where NIMBY types will actively challenge the construction of new towers, delaying and sometimes even blocking their construction and incurring massive legal fees. For this reason, whenever a carrier or tower company succeeds in getting past the NIMBYs, it's common for other carriers to co-lease on that same tower rather than build their own separate one.

scaredpoet said:

Also false. There are lots of areas where NIMBY types will actively challenge the construction of new towers, delaying and sometimes even blocking their construction and incurring massive legal fees. For this reason, whenever a carrier or tower company succeeds in getting past the NIMBYs, it's common for other carriers to co-lease on that same tower rather than build their own separate one.

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Not completely false, just uncommon. The cost of co-leasing or leasing out a tower can often exceed the cost of building a tower. Some carriers would rather not lease the tower and wait for the proper approval in order to better secure their further investments or just not have service in that area. Regional carriers most commonly fall into this category and instead rely on their roaming agreements.