Jay Brown, president and CEO of Crown Castle International Corp. (NYSE: CCI), joined REIT.com for a video interview at REITWeek 2017: NAREIT’s Investor Forum at the New York Hilton Midtown.
Brown said Crown Castle has seen a high level of activity in the small cell sector from all four major wireless operators as they look to densify their networks to provide greater coverage and capacity to customers.
Although it could take more than a decade of growth to achieve, Brown said early indications point to the small cell business having the potential to rival the tower business.
Brown also commented on Crown Castle’s recent purchase of Wilcon Holdings LLC, a fiber services provider that owns approximately 1,900 route miles of fiber, primarily in Los Angeles and San Diego.
“There’s a tremendous amount of activity given the population density in that market,” Brown observed. He said he anticipates a lot of opportunity to increase returns as fiber plays a key role in the deployment of small cells.
Other opportunities to further develop the small cell business in top markets could be interesting to Crown Castle “at the right price,” Brown said.