Profitable Technical Management of Your Building's Telecommunications Systems

Wireless communications continue to grow throughout the world, presenting opportunities for facility owners and managers to increase property value and generate revenue, not only by meeting the demands of quality tenants, but, by leasing property rooftop space to telecommunication providers. The ability to successfully implement and manage rooftop space requires proper planning and attention to safety issues in order to minimize liability. To accomplish these objectives, consideration of the business, management, technical, and safety issues that confront a telecommunication site must be understood.

To gain the greatest return from a building's rooftop, it is important to have knowledge of both the technical issues and the property characteristics that will play a role in pricing rooftop space. The location and elevation of a building, line-of-sight (LOS) capabilities, existing RF environment, and the placement of telecommunication equipment already installed at the site, are key components of an effective rooftop assessment. This knowledge will help determine how to price the rooftop for both support and antenna spacing within the building and on the rooftop.

Another pertinent issue that should be considered in the pricing of antenna and building space is a prospective telecom tenant's ability to obtain alternative space. The costs and zoning issues associated with erecting towers and switching sites requires an analysis of how dependent a telecom tenant is on a particular site, thus allowing the property owner or manager to price their space at a fair market value. Property owners and managers can achieve increased profitability while minimizing the risk of obtaining an unreliable tenant or creating unsafe conditions at their property if they understand the rooftop telecommunications market and the associated technical issues.