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Churches, Steeples, and Cell Towers / HOME

Churches, Steeples, and Cell Towers

The differences Between Tower and
Rooftop Cell Site Leases

Some industry experts suggest that we have only built 1/3 of the total number of cell sites or cell phone towers that will be necessary to provide coverage over just those areas where the demographics support coverage. Many municipal planners erroneously assume that the "wave" of cell site applications is over.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. The wireless carriers are building cell sites and new cell towers in areas where they never needed to before. There are a few reasons for this:

1. New 3rd Generation Wireless services require cell sites and towers that are closer together to provide continuous service.
2. As the number of minutes the average consumer uses grows and the number of users continues to grow, more cell sites are needed to handle the capacity.
3. One of the primary reasons why cell phone users switch service (or churn to another carrier) is due to coverage issues. The carriers are constantly attempting to improve coverage in areas where they notice churn.

The net result is that many urban areas are seeing a resurgence of cell site and cell tower development. And unlike previous cell site development cycles, municipalities and landowners have become smarter and regulations are much tougher. This forces the industry to consider more innovative (and invisible) ways of meeting stringent zoning regulations for cell site placement. This means that they are locating cell sites and cell antennas in existing structures such as church steeples.

Due to their low impact on neighborhoods, churches can often be found in residential neighborhoods where tower regulations make it all but impossible for new towers to be built. The end result is that an increasing number of churches are being approached to place towers on their property or install antennas and a cell site inside the steeples.

Church steeple cell site or cell tower installations are definitely more costly than other cell phone towers. Wireless carriers will not normally approach a church for a cell site location until they have few or no other options (which makes it imperative that the church understands its negotiating position properly).

Steel in the Air has assisted many churches with cell site lease or cell phone tower issues. We are familiar with the decision making processes that many churches have to go through internally to make these types of decisions. We can help guide your church decision making board and the church body through the difficult and often confusing maze of leasing space in the steeple for cell site antennas. We can provide fair market value from other churches that have leased space in their steeples or on their property for a cell site or cell tower.

We can assist you with evaluating the offer from the wireless carrier and make sure you are receiving the best lease rate you can. Furthermore, we can help you craft a less one-sided lease that protects the church's interest.

What we can't do is help you find someone that will be interested in your property. If you haven't been contacted by a carrier, there is not much we can do. Please see our Tower on your Property web page for more details.

If you have been contacted or already have a cell site on your church property or in the steeple, please contact us, and we will be happy to help. We are also pleased to provide references from other churches we have provided service to. Some of these are on our testimonial page.