During a 28-year career in the telecom industry, Daniel “Danny” Agresta has worn many hats. He started in the publicly traded space, leading the M&A team for American Tower Corp. and running sales for SpectraSite before the two companies merged in 2005. Since 2014, he’s applied that public market perspective to the private space, while scratching an entrepreneurial itch, as President & CEO of APC Towers, whose footprint covers 37 states. Agresta also serves on the board of the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) and is Co-Chairman for WIA’s Infrastructure Developers Forum.
1. The wireless infrastructure business is more competitive than when you co-founded APC 10+ years ago. What do you see ahead for the industry in the next 18-24 months?
“The drive for widespread 5G coverage is creating significant opportunities for growth and innovation for companies like APC. As carriers build more sites to keep up with rising capacity demands, macro towers remain the backbone of network deployment. But there’s also an opportunity for small cell deployment and fiber backhaul to address the higher capacity and lower latency demands of 5G technology. These densification efforts are essential for supporting urban networks, where traffic is concentrated, as well as suburban areas experiencing rapid population growth. We believe rural connectivity expansion is another area for opportunity. Government initiatives, such as the BEAD program, will help close the digital divide and drive tower construction and infrastructure investments in rural and underserved areas.
Another growth opportunity is private wireless networks. Enterprises, schools, and municipalities are increasingly adopting these solutions for secure, localized connectivity, and presenting opportunities for infrastructure providers to diversify their services. We are also keeping our thumb on the opportunities for edge computing, which enables data to be processed closer to the source of generation. These micro data centers, often located at the base of towers or in nearby facilities, are critical for supporting applications like autonomous vehicles and AI-driven systems. We’re making sure our site compounds are ready for it. And we are excited for the opportunity to learn more about the potential of AI and how it can play a role in both tower operations and deployment.”
2. APC owns and manages over 400 towers across 37 states. Please explain your acquisition model and how it differs from your competitors.
“If you compare APC Towers with our competitors, we do not have a large sales team or a large acquisition department. Our focus has always been on finding great people who have a strong project management background, supply chain experience, and PMP certifications. Our sales efforts reflect our ability to manage projects, meet forecast dates, set clear expectations with our customers, and meet or beat their expectations. The towers coming out of the ground are a product, those [people] that work for APC are the assets, and our scorecard is the ability to meet the demands of the carrier and develop sites in a consistent, timely fashion.
It is more important to me and the health of APC that we continue to grow and succeed in all our active markets, rather than win a new market that we haven’t built in. M&A makes up less than 25 percent of our portfolio. When looking at acquisitions, we search for undervalued or underutilized towers where we can add tenants or improve operational efficiencies. We will examine carrier demand alignment, ensuring to the best of our ability that the potential acquisition aligns with the needs of major carriers and their future demand. We also look at strategic partnerships with all types of developers that will allow us to help build and/or acquire their towers.”
3. What inning are we in during the industry consolidation game?
“I’d say the mid-to-late innings for larger consolidations. This sector has gone from a startup when I got my start 28 years ago to a very mature market. Most of the largest portfolios have already been consolidated by public tower companies and large private tower companies. However, there are still significant opportunities that remain for regional players and specialized portfolios, such as rural or niche markets. Despite significant consolidation in the wireless infrastructure industry, a fragmented market still exists, with thousands of towers owned by smaller independent owners. These smaller portfolios create opportunities for strategic acquisitions. I also believe that there are plenty of quality mid-size national tower developers who are doing a lot of build-to-suit work around the country. This will continue to offer portfolios for sale every 6-to-7 years, providing opportunities for acquisitions to the large tower operators or new entrant buyers.”
By Paul Heine, Inside Towers Contributing Analyst
Paul Heine has covered radio/audio, media and marketing since 1985. He has held senior editorial management positions at Inside Radio, Radio & Records, Billboard Radio Monitor and the Friday Morning Quarterback (FMQB). Heine has also reported and analyzed media news and trends for Adweek, Mediaweek, Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter; appeared on “Today” and Fox News; and has been quoted in the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today and other publications. He began his career in on-air and programming positions at radio stations in Buffalo and Rochester, NY.
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