As the wireless industry continues to enjoy popularity, tower leases become attractive options for individuals who wish to make their land more profitable. Having a cell phone tower on their property is certainly a good way for landowners to make money with increased profits, as the area and the tower can be constantly developed for better service. However, not all properties are ideal for a cell site.

Property owners can check if they are located within a mile of an existing cell phone tower. The presence of even one tower reduces the chance for their property to be considered. Properties in urban and suburban areas or those located near a major highway or a populated town are more likely to be considered, because there will be more people who could possibly use the service.

Another factor that determines if the property is a perfect location for a cell site is if the pending location is an industrial property surrounded by residential properties. If so, then there’s a good chance that the property will be considered as a cell site candidate. However, the reverse (that is, a residential location in the midst of industrial properties) is less desirable, and it won’t make for a good candidate.

Properties on the highest point in the county are seldom considered, as well as those that are in areas with no network coverage at all. This is because some providers may not have plans to extend their services yet to such locations.

As a landowner who leases his or her land for a cell tower, you might receive an offer to sell the lease at some point. Perhaps you are deliberating within yourself whether or not you should sell, and why.

Your reluctance to sell is reasonable for a variety of reasons. An active lease provides a constant trickle of income. Additionally, selling your lease to someone or a company can be a daunting task that you might be unprepared for.

Should you overcome your indecision, selling your cell tower leasing can result in a number of benefits for you. Here are three of them:

Capital

Although you receive lease payments every month, you won’t be able to tap into that as a long-term revenue stream. Selling your cell site lease can grant you large amounts of capital to invest in other long-term ventures.

Risk Reduction

Not only does selling your cell site lease give you capital, but also it reduces your risk against inflation or an early termination of the lease. Additionally, you minimize the risk of owning a devalued lease when the cell tower becomes obsolete.

Tax Treatment

While it depends on the situation, selling your cell tower lease can also grant you a favorable tax treatment. What this means is that you can defer taxes through a “1031 exchange” if you purchase another property following the lease’s sale.

To ensure that you get the most out of selling your lease, always seek advice from an experienced professional.

Are you having trouble finding your wireless carrier in your area? If you are, there's no need to worry as there are now many ways to locate the provider you're looking for.

Despite the fact that all major wireless carriers now offer nationwide coverage, not all telcos are created equal. Locating cell phone tower companies in your area can be difficult especially if they aren't located in major cities likes Boston, New York, Chicago and San Francisco. You're going to have a hard time finding a good one if your carrier isn't available in the area you currently reside in.

Cell tower databases like AntennaSearch and Mobiledia have made it easier for cell phone users to locate the carrier they're subscribed to. There is also the option of typing your city into Google maps, which gives you easier access to the location of your carrier. They often rent or sell towers to companies, so it will be useful to search for customer feedback on forums.

When searching for a cell phone tower, you should also veer away from dead spots. Websites like SignalMap.com can help give you an idea of the strength of the reception in a particular area.

If you're looking for cell phones towers in your area, just remember these tips and don't forget to always be cautious.

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.

If you can’t imagine life without your smartphone or any other gadget that connects to a cellular network, then you probably can’t live without cell towers as well. These structures, also referred to as base stations, transmit and receive radiofrequency (RF) signals that cellular phones use to send messages or call. Although cell towers are usually out of sight, since they have to be high enough to cover an area (around 50-200 feet high), it still pays to know a little bit about them given the vital role they play in telecommunications.

How do they work?

Whenever you use your cellular phone, it sends RF waves to nearby cell towers that transmit your call or message to its destination. Multiple carriers or providers can share the use of a single tower by placing their own equipment, or radio transmitters and receivers on the site.

Why are they valuable?

Other than their value in telecommunications, several landlords and investors actually consider cell towers as potentialiy lucrative opportunities. A tower located in a strategic areamakes it indispensable to numerous carriers. In fact, a number of cell phone companies would be willing to pay large rents just to maintain, or increase the scope of their service.

If you are interested in leasing out your property as a cell tower location, or if you are already leasing a cell tower, you may want to learn about some small facts surrounding cell phone towers and cell tower leases.

The latest figures (as of November 2013) show that there are currently 190,000 cell phone towers around the United States, which is an astronomical increase from 1985’s figure of only 900 cell phone towers. Massachusetts leads all states in the list of highest cell tower lease rates, followed by New York, New Jersey, and Maryland. The average cell tower lease rate is $45,000 a year, and the lowest cell tower lease rate is $100. The average cost to build a cell tower is $150,000; and the maximum range of a tower is 21.7 miles.

It may also help to know some statistics about cell phone usage among those residing in the US. People generally believe that cell phones have enhanced their lives, with 76% of respondents in one survey saying they found mobile technology to be helpful. Sixty-five percent of respondents from the same survey also said cell phones have made them become better parents, and a growing percentage say they use their cell phones for other uses such as browsing the Internet and visiting social networks.