Advertising sites

Finding creative ways to hide tower sites often is a concern for carriers and site acquisition companies. One way to ensure coverage and stealth in high-traffic areas is to site on existing billboards.

Billboard advertising companies often work with wireless companies to provide additional coverage in areas where carriers often need it most. As an added bonus, carriers also can advertise on the billboard site, sometimes working out deals for discounted advertising space.

“The goals are aligned with our media and site acquisition because they need additional coverage in high-traffic areas, and we’re looking for additional eyeballs in the same areas,” said Rod Rackley, Lamar Advertising (www.lamar.com) vice president of business development.

Billboards can’t offer carriers the height that traditional sites can; most boards are 50’ to 60’ tall. However, they can ease some of the zoning issues towers face.

“In the majority of townships, the planning commissions like the billboards because they don’t see another tower going up,” Rackley said.

Of course, tower companies aren’t as supportive as the commissions, but Rackley said his company isn’t viewed as much of a threat right now.

“I don’t think we’re a big enough threat for them to be concerned,” he said. “As we get larger and the heights come down, our structures may be used as towers. Then we’ll become a force to be reckoned with.”

The lower heights offered by billboard companies allow carriers to fill holes in coverage areas or add capacity in crowded areas. And, because the billboards are made to withstand hurricane-strength winds, the sites can support telecommunications equipment without much strain.

“The structures are tolerant of any additional weight the carrier puts on,” Rackley said.

The sites also already have electricity and most are close to T1 data lines. For a full cell site, carriers can lease ground space underneath the billboard for equipment sheds.

AT&T Wireless (www.attwireless.com) spokesman Ritch Blasi said his company sites on billboards when it fits into their coverage plan.

“It depends on what’s needed in the area,” Blasi said. “If a billboard can solve a problem, and it’s something that’s within the footprint, we’ll use it. It’s the same thing as putting a cell site on the side of a building.”

Many carriers have jumped on the billboard bandwagon. Lamar has contracts with AT&T, Cellular One (www.cellularone.com), Nextel (www.nextel.com), Sprint PCS (www.sprintpcs.com), Verizon (www.verizon.com) and Voicestream (www.voicestream.com), among others. Wireless broadband carriers also are interested, Rackley said.

“It’s just sort of natural,” he said. “I don’t want to act like we brainstormed this thing and really aggressively marketed it. A lot of times, the carriers come to us with a specific site already identified. They just want to know how it works.”