What Cell Tower Lease Rates 2026 BC?

The naked truth about cell tower lease rates in 2026 is that nobody wants to see a naked cell tower. That is industry jargon for an "empty or bare" cell tower. We love ugly cell towers with lots of dishes and antennas on them, the more antennas, the better. As the two wireless cavemen Partners Kevin and Steve from Tower Genius have been saying since they stopped dragging their knuckles and started walking upright and learned how to use the internet in 2008, all cell tower lease rental values are determined on a case by case, and site by site basis. 

In 2026 we will continue to see some industry consolidation on cell towers and cell sites where Sprint was present and the location was impacted by the Sprint T-Mobile merger. The industry is doubling down on stupid. Verizon sold it cell tower portfolio to Vertical Bridge and you can expect them to send you a rent reduction love letter. And US Cellular is now called Array Digital Infrastructure after getting into bed with T-Mobile. 2026 will be an exciting year in wireless infrastructure deployment and decommissioning. AT&T is fervently leasing and building out sites for FirstNet. DISH Wireless went bust, so expect to see termination letters.  Thank you T-Mobile for nothing.

We are seeing plenty of low-ball rent offers from cell tower bottom feeding developers offering 90-year leases at $500 per month and with terrible lease terms. Cell tower lease renewals can be worth anywhere from $1,000 to $6,000 per month depending on your specific tower and location. Many towers lease extensions that we see end up leasing for $2,000 and $3,500 monthly. But there is no cookie cutter solution or answer. Each cell site renewal needs to be looked at individually to determine the proper valuation and strategy.

Do you have questions about cell tower lease rates 2026? Let's discuss.