By Jeffrey Yorke
The old adage “Necessity is the Mother of Invention” has struck the wireless industry. In fact, it has forced growth and a dramatic change over the past five years, says Marc Ganzi, CEO of Digital Bridge Holdings. Ganzi opened his keynote address on the “Future of the Wireless Infrastructure in the U.S.” by reporting that the wireless industry has witnessed “an amazing journey over the past two years and the creation of an asset class.” The former founder and CEO of Global Tower Partners said, “consumer behavior has pushed this growth. It’s mostly over entertainment. It requires high download [speeds], high capacity.”
“Consumers are now using devices throughout the day. The consumer is driving where we need to be.” The demand, Ganzi added, “has changed the way we must approach business.” Tower companies now have to be “partners” with their clients rather than simply providing a service. Ganzi remembered back to more than two decades ago when he began in the tower business. “All it took two [guys] and a truck to build a tower. You just needed a good location. Now it’s different.”
Ganzi said these days operators “need to begin building vast networks” and “consider micro sites, distribution systems, public facilities, fiber players – dark fiber or fiber. And, of course, the Cloud.” Ganzi added that “the thunder that the tower industry enjoyed for two decades has changed. Now you have to think about all of these things.” While acknowledging “our needs are complex,” Ganzi advised tower operators to look for “lower infrastructure costs because it is hard to be a carrier today. Sympathize with mobile operators.” He believes there is “tremendous opportunity in the macro site business today. New towers, water tower sites… It’s not the same business it was 20 years ago but it’s still enjoying 6% plus growth.”
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