Cellphone tower locations depend on population

Much like cellphones have evolved from awkward and unattractive to sleek and trim, cellphone towers also have taken on new appearances. They are erected near churches, farms and businesses, and often go unnoticed, despite their growing numbers.

According to Jim Kientzy, director of radio access network at AT&T, the network has about 15 sites in and around the Cape Girardeau area. He said the location and frequency of these sites mirror population density, and tower designs change as they reach proximity to a city.

"The closer you get to cities and residential areas, the shorter and less noticeable the towers become, because people don't like to see them and they don't need to be that tall," Kientzy said. "For example, as you go out of town, near Gordonville, there's a tower that's about 250 feet tall ... but out there you would have to cover about 20 square feet to cover 500 people. To cover 500 people in Cape, your tower only needs to be about 60 feet tall."

Sometimes, an actual tower is not needed to provide better coverage to an area, he said. In some cases, antennas can be placed on rooftops of tall buildings. Adding antennas to an existing structure is ideal, Kientzy said, but not always feasible.

"It's like the real estate saying: it's all about location, location, location," he said. "You have to define the area where you want to provide the coverage, then within that area find a location that will satisfy your needs."

A cell phone tower on the southwest corner of Kingshighway and Shawnee Parkway, Friday, July 19. (Adam Vogler)

When construction of a tower is necessary, networks contact independent contractors to find suitable locations. Paul Thompson works with Network Real Estate LLC, which provides these services for many major networks in the area.

Thompson said the first choice of location for a cellphone tower that could be built by AT&T at 418 William St. was behind city hall, but the city was hesitant to sign a long-term lease because of possible future expansions.

Some residents have voiced concern about the proposed tower's location on William Street.

At a Cape Girardeau City Council meeting earlier this month, local historian Dr. Frank Nickell, representing residents of the city's downtown area, said the location of the planned 140-foot tower would "compromise the city's most historic districts," and if one were built, other cellphone-service providers would also want to build towers in the area.

Nickell said the tower would be one of the tallest structures in the city and visible from most properties, including 22 properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He said the property on William Street was right in the middle of the most historic area in the city.

A cell phone towers on the 300 lock of South Silver Springs Road, Friday, July 19. (Adam Vogler)

"I don't think you could have picked a more historic place in Cape to put a 21st-century piece of technology where it will cast its shadow over 19th-century homes," he said at the July 2 meeting.

At a meeting a week later between AT&T representatives and residents, AT&T agreed to some changes to the appearance of the proposed tower and the property on William Street, but not a change in location.

The city council is scheduled to vote on whether to approve a special-use permit for the tower at its Aug. 5 meeting.

Thompson said a tower typically is built on land leased long term by the network from a property owner. Once the lease is agreed upon, he said the network takes on all the responsibilities for the land and any developments, including paperwork, landscape and code requirements.

The cost of these lease agreements ranges depending on the area, he added. Farmland, for example, would be of a higher value than most properties because the owner has the potential to earn money from the land by planting crops.

On average, there is a competitive range among carriers for what financially works or doesn't work, Thompson said. "You expect to pay different amounts depending on the area, but a $1,000 per month lease would be on the higher end."

Thompson, who has worked in the wireless industry for about 20 years, said landowners today are more open to leasing their property for the construction of a cell tower.

"When 20 years ago you talked to people, their reaction was totally different than what it is now," he said. "It's kind of like the microwave; it kind of scared people at first, but now who doesn't have one?"

As more people depend solely on wireless phones and cut their landline connections, Thompson said cellphone towers start to become "part of the infrastructure," just like telephone poles.

He also said that when he's looking for a property to lease for a tower, he makes an effort to look for one that's public in nature. Churches, VFW halls and city-owned property are high on Thompson's list.

"A tower will already benefit the community by boosting the signal, but this way they can also benefit by receiving the profit," he said.

The location of a new tower often must be specific to a small area in order to provide coverage without interfering with frequencies from other towers, Thompson explained. There is a limited number of frequencies made available by the government for use, and towers are designed in a way that limits signals and avoids interference. Towers also are integral in two-way communication from a handheld phone, whether a phone call or data exchange.

"If you were to call my cellphone from your cellphone, the signal would go to the tower, travel down the tower to fiber optic connections in the ground, then go back to the switchboard in St. Louis to look up my number and find where I am," Thompson said. "Then it would send the signal to the tower nearest me, then come out to my phone.

"That's why your battery goes dead, because every few seconds it sends out a message to say 'Hey, here I am,' to anyone that can hear it. So towers get the message and say, 'Hey, I found Paul,' but one tower would say 'I heard him best so he's mine.' When you think about all the things that have to happen just to place one call, it's mind numbing that it works and works so well."

Most modern towers also are colocatable, meaning multiple carriers can place antennas within the structure, bolstering coverage for more wireless users and reducing the necessity of multiple towers. Kientzy estimates that 70 percent to 80 percent of sites are colocatable and support at least two networks.

He said once they identify the area in need of improved coverage and what locations will provide that coverage, the contractors will bring in three site options. Each is evaluated based on cost, zoning restrictions and ideal coverage, he said.

As for tower design, Thompson believes the "stealth stick," which is the current proposed design for the William Street tower, is the most appealing aesthetically. When painted a color that blends in with the sky, he said the towers are among the least noticeable. Other designs include a flagpole, cross and tree.

Kientzy said the bulky tri-pod designs, called "latticed, self-support towers" that were once used by networks and still can be found in less populated areas are largely a thing of the past.

"People don't want some ugly tower in their town, but they want service," he said. "We try to balance community aesthetics with community needs."

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

Cape Girardeau, Mo.