For the past 30 years, the cellular industry has been crisscrossing the US installing more than 350,000 cell sites in cities, towns and crossroads. Municipalities fortunate enough to have cellular sites located on their properties have been able to count on a steady stream of income from their cell site leases.
The last thing most municipalities and local governments need is additional pressure to do more with less income. Well that could be coming your way, thanks to new cellular technologies, legislative initiatives to reduce cellular rent rates and pressure from telecoms for future rent reductions on existing leases.
In just a few years, cell towers have become an ubiquitous part of almost every skyline and panorama. Well new technologies are being developed and tested that could replace 20-30 cellular towers with a single technology, laden, tethered airborne platform: blimps.
