With cellular phones and other similar mobile devices growing in usage and popularity, many landowners are perfectly poised to generate considerable profits by leasing out their land to wireless providers. Cell towers play a central role in facilitating the voice and data functions of mobile devices. To provide better service to their subscribers, wireless companies actively scout for available real estate at key locations that make for the ideal cell sites.

In pretty much any cell tower lease agreement, a property’s strategic location directly influences the lease rates it can command. Essentially, wireless companies are willing to pay a handsome fee to lease the rights to set up a cell tower at prime lots with easy access. Meanwhile, similar parcels of land located close to other existing cell towers typically attract lower offers.

Other factors also affect cell tower lease rates. For instance, wireless companies typically want their towers to be built in locations far from residential areas to prevent being an eyesore in the community. Additionally, some wireless companies will insist that their towers only provide their cellular coverage and prohibit the property owner from accommodating other carriers.

Such specifics can be used to a landowner’s advantage when negotiating the terms of a lease. It certainly doesn’t hurt to have a lawyer to outline these details.

For self-storage operators, this factor offers an income-generating opportunity that supplements the primary uses for their space. Given the many intricacies involved in a cell site lease arrangement, however, it is undoubtedly sensible to work with an institutional investor who can arrange a long-term lease with favorable terms. An Inside Self Storage article warns about the various pitfalls interested parties need to avoid:

The mistake many self-storage operators make is, being in the real estate business, they continue to track the elusive “market rent” figures when determining how much to charge a cell-tower company. To be crystal clear, there’s no such thing as market rent when it comes to a cell-tower lease. If you try to use comparable rents in your area, you’re using data that will only cause you to perpetuate under-valued rents that have been paid to property owners for the last few decades.

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Leasing your rooftop as a cell site for a telecommunications company is a great way to generate residual income. However, you’ll have to keep certain factors in mind before you go ahead and sign a lease agreement.

Leasing out your property as a cell site for a large wireless company can be quite lucrative. Unfortunately, wireless companies do not shop around for cell sites too often.

Leasing a cell tower can be a lucrative business for landowners. If you wish to get into this venture, you need to consider several factors to increase your chances of success.

First of all, you have to determine if your property is an appropriate cell tower location. If the location of the property is too far from places with heavy traffic, network service companies may not find the property attractive. You also need to make sure that setting up a cell phone tower in your property does not violate any zoning regulations. 

 

You then need to market your property to cell phone service providers. You can contact prospective companies directly, as well as advertise your property in appropriate channels. Putting up a noticeable sign in your property can also get a provider’s attention. Don’t get discouraged if you do not immediately receive a reply from any prospective leaser, as cell phone tower requirements could change periodically.

To make sure your property is always on the radar of cell phone service providers, consider marketing it through cell site tower brokers. These companies typically would have existing relationships with cell phone service providers, and can thus help you connect with potential customers faster. Additionally, these cell site brokers can include your property in their extensive marketing programs. 

Leasing your land or property to be used as a cell site by a telecommunications company is one of the best ways you can earn money without having to work much. The appeal is quite obvious: as more and more people use cell phones nowadays, additional cellular towers need to be constructed to accommodate them. Of course, this is not as easy as it sounds because cell phone companies can be quite picky when it comes to finding the perfect location for their sites.

For one thing, cell towers should be far from residential properties due to health and safety concerns. Local ordinances specifically require that the distance from the base of a tower to the residential zone must be equivalent to two feet per one foot of the tower height. This means that you are generally out of luck if you wish to lease your own backyard as a cell site (unless the yard encompasses the entire 3-5 blocks of your street).

Obstructions like trees and power lines can also have a negative impact on signal transmission, which means that cluttered or forested properties are usually glossed over by cell companies.

Even if you meet the requirements, your neighborhood may not even allow the construction of a cell tower purely due to aesthetic reasons. Consult with the relevant authorities if that’s the case because cell companies don’t want to spend much in making their cell towers “beautiful”, even if the site is a perfect location for them.

When cellular phones had a wide release in the U.S. market back in the 1990s, most people welcomed them with open arms. Today, these mobile devices are used not just to make a phone call or send text messages to family and friends, but to send e-mails, connect to a social network or VPN, or do online shopping as well. Despite using their cell phones for a wide array of tasks, not many cell phone users are familiar with how the magical tool works exactly.

Mobile phones essentially serve as the receiver of signals from digital signal processors contained in a cell site or cell tower. Cell tower locations are ideally set up in elevated areas like rooftops and water tanks to allow enhanced coverage. One can easily spot a cell tower because it typically shows an antenna mounted atop a tall structure.

Not all rooftops and water tanks can be transformed automatically into a cell tower location, though, as some U.S. cities have formulated strict rules regarding the erection of cell sites. In some cities like Denver and New York City, for instance, some cell towers are made to look like trees to allow them to blend in with the surroundings. This setup also exists in other parts of the world like Portugal, Italy, and South Africa. In Atlanta, meanwhile, cell sites must be constructed according to local zoning regulations.

In today’s digital age, people have become dependent on mobile phones and an Internet connection for constant communication no matter where they are. You may have leased your land for a cell tower or your property for a cell site to maximize the potential revenues of your stagnant asset, but there is more to a cell site than just profit. You may not realize it, but your decision to provide cellular coverage can serve many generations to come.

Helping Your Community

Not only will you be able to utilize strong cellular signals, but you can also ensure that your neighbors stay connected as well. When you create a cell site, you are helping individuals in your area overcome recurrent signal problems and experience the benefits of mobile communication.

Promoting Economic Progress

Creating a local infrastructure for communication satisfies the need for connectivity, which in turn promotes progress. You can take part in building the economy by helping business owners remain in contact with their suppliers, for instance. Your very actions can set an ideal environment for mobilization and productivity.

Advancing Technology

You are connecting your community to the world. Enhancing wireless telecommunications in your area can lead to more discoveries through research. Imagine a community capable of accessing valuable and educational information. You are doing society a favor by hosting a cell site.

With the various developments in technology, different wireless networks have been developed to facilitate instantaneous communication. Cellular networks, or mobile networks, are radio networks that are distributed over land areas known as cells. Each cell is served by at least one fixed-location transceiver. To avoid interferences, different cells use different sets of radio frequencies that are distinguishable from their immediate neighboring cells.

A cell site is a cellular phone site where electronic communications equipment—such as transmitter/receivers transceivers, digital signal processors, GPS receivers, backup electrical power sources—are installed. Usually, cell sites can be found on radio masts, towers, and other high places to create a cell in a cellular network. Common structures that are used for cell sites include flagpoles, roof tops, water tanks, smoke stacks, and grain silos.

Some cities in the United States and Canada require cell sites to be inconspicuous to avoid being eyesores to the public. These are known as concealed cell sites or stealth cell sites. Cell tower owners who collect rent payments from cell tower leases or cell site leases could maximize their assets' full revenue potential by partnering with reputable investors in cellular site locations.

Cellular lease purchases differ from rental income because the asset is turned into one large cash payment. This will enable cell tower owners to pursue various other investment prospects, settle or decrease their debts, fund capital projects, and reduce the risk of the site decommissioning.