Wireless devices allow the user to remain connected to the world without being tied down to a particular place. However, this freedom to roam is wholly dependent on technology that, in order to function effectively, relies on numerous parcels of real property at locations around the world. Indeed, according to CTIAThe Wireless Association, there were 285,561 cell tower sites in service as of June 2012 in the United States alone. This article will describe the real estate interests that underlie the operation of the cellular communications industry.
Cell Phone Technology
Before examining the real estate aspects of mobile technology, it is worthwhile to provide a brief crash course on how mobile devices work. Mobile phones are essentially fancy radiosthey receive and transmit signals at frequencies allotted to the mobile carrier on whose network they operate. When a call is placed, a mobile phone uses these signals to communicate with the antennas mounted on the nearest cell tower. The signal then travels from the antenna down the cell tower via cables and into a base station. The base station then passes the signal along via a hard wired connection (i.e., a landline) to a switching center, where the process will, if the call is being made to another mobile phone, essentially be reversed.
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