Renting property for a cell phone tower?

October 3, 2006 9:49 AM

How can I inform cell phone companies of my willingness to rent to them space for a cell phone tower?

I looked through the archives and found quite a bit on the health aspects of nearby cell phone towers, but what I'd still like to know is, how can we even get the cell phone companies to rent from us?

I mean, if I have property that I'm willing to rent out to them, how do I let them know about it?

Do I have to go to each company individually (and how would I go about that?) or are there some central sources or outside contractors who assist with this process?

posted by stst399 to technology (8 comments total)

Take 10 minutes and write up a small "press release" or some such nonsense on nice letterhead and mail it out to all the cell companies in the area informing them of some cheap, awesome space you have available.
posted by dead_ at 9:55 AM on October 3, 2006

Here's some good advice.
posted by Floydd at 9:56 AM on October 3, 2006

Be aware, by the way, that your neighbors may have veto power over your ability to use your land as you thsee fit. Zoning regulations in many places either limit where cell towers (and other sorts of developments) can be placed, or require landowners to get permission from the community before proceeding with new development. Find out what your local laws say before you make or accept any offers.
posted by decathecting at 10:27 AM on October 3, 2006

Their are usually what the oil industry would call "land men" who deal with real estate issues for tower operators. Your best bet is to find out who the ones working your area are and get in touch with them.

I'd identify other cell antennas in your area and inquire with the owners of the buildings/land to see who they dealt with.
posted by Good Brain at 10:49 AM on October 3, 2006

Good Brain has it right: there are companies whose purpose is to aggregate buildings/water towers/etc (basically, high places) and then market them to mobile providers. It just so happens that I work for one such company. Check your email.
posted by schustafa at 11:05 AM on October 3, 2006

If they want to put a tower up in your neck of the woods, they'll contact you. Cell phone tower placement is dictated by maximum coverage for minimum number of towers. If there are large pieces of relatively undeveloped land where planners determine a tower should go, it doesn't take long for them to research who owns the land and get in touch. Happened to my Dad last year; Sprint sent him a letter out of the blue to ask if they could put a tower on some worthless swamp that he owns; they've since built the tower, paid for over $10,000 in improvements to the trails and roads on the land, and are now paying him $2,000 a month rent, for a minimum of the next 5 years.
posted by saladin at 11:41 AM on October 3, 2006

Forgot to mention, if you have any questions, I'd be happy to interrogate him about the ins and outs of the process. Email's in my profile.
posted by saladin at 11:42 AM on October 3, 2006

Find out what carriers serve your area and call them. When I worked for AT&T Wireless, we had a script for callers that wanted to have a cell tower on their property. They had a department that dealt specifically with such requests.
posted by drstein at 1:19 PM on October 3, 2006