In a challenging economy, leasing cellular telephone towers might turn out to be a wonderful investment. Although The Global Futurist Blog does not render tax, investment, accounting, financial or legal advice to any of our readers, these structures are landscape fixtures which are increasing in utility and value by the day. Sale-leaseback transactions might carry some wonderful annuitized income as well as some offsetting depreciation. Here's a snapshot:
You've probably seen plenty of cell towers (in increasing numbers) along the highways and major roads as you've traveled. You might've thought that they looked unattractive (or that they emitted some sort of dangerous electromagnetic energy). You might have grinned inwardly as you thought that your cellular telephone reception would begin to improve, with greater clarity and fewer dropped calls - you might've sneaked a peek at your device to count the bars (or martini stirrers, as we cellularphiles [a Lingovation] like to call them).
Maybe we were missing the most significant news of all about these high-volume, signal sending, networked beasties -- the financial and leasing aspects of use and ownership of these money mills! The article which follows might prove enticing to those of us infused with the entrepreneurial spirit.
T-Mobile nets $2.4 billion from leasing cell towers
T-Mobile USA will reap $2.4 billion from a deal to allow Crown Castle International to operate the carrier's 7,200 cell towers in a leasing agreement that expands Crown's tower total to more than 37,000. T-Mobile will earmark the funds to acquire 4G spectrum and upgrade its Long-Term Evolution network. CNET (9/28), Bloomberg (9/28)
Sounds to me to be a wonderful investment. Despite the environmental and potential physiological concerns associated with ambient electromagnetic energy given off by these signal-bouncing beacons, they are increasing in number as demand increases, and they are truly hard assets. This makes it indeed possible to lease them -- even if you're a denizen of the private sector.
As there numbers grow, and they will, some genius is going to put together a geographically-diversified, mixed carrier portfolio of these behemoths, and sell interests, either to institutions, or to individuals, but with the portfolio under duly-licensed and expert management.
Douglas E. Castle for The Global Futurist Blog, The InfoSphere Business Alerts And Intelligence Blog, The Business And Project Planning And Management Blog, The Going Totally Rogue Blog and -- the newest member of the fleet (so please visit), The CrowdFunding Incubator Blog.
Do it again. C'mon...
