UScellular sees bright side to spectrum scarcity

Given the slowdown in spending on the part of big wireless carriers as the 5G era shifts into low gear, why does UScellular think it can make a viable business selling space on its towers? After all, a booming tower business implies carriers will spend more on their networks, not less. Running a wireless business at the same time it’s running a tower business gives UScellular an advantage as it seeks to become a tower company, according to President and CEO Laurent Therivel. Without access to new spectrum, carriers will be densifying their networks to meet the projected 20%-25% annual demand for data that consumers use. That will lead to more small cells and the need to access more towers in places they previously didn’t cover, according to Therivel. Most of UScellular's towers are in more rural areas.