Companies that provide cell phone, broadband, paging, wireless web, and similar services are always looking for better coverage opportunities and more bandwidth than their competitors. In areas such as cities, these providers often find their best opportunities for installing new transmission equipment on the top of existing structures. This can present the owners of such buildings with the good fortune of new revenue stream, as the demand for good transmission sites now has telecommunications providers paying private individuals and small businesses for space on their rooftops.

Telecom providers need elevated sites for the equipment that receives, relays, and transmits our electronic communications, and existing towers—especially in high-traffic areas—cannot keep up with the demand. To address this shortfall, telecom companies are increasingly turning to minitowers and inconspicuous transmission equipment atop existing buildings. As in all real estate, location is crucial. If your property is in the right neighborhood and is tall enough, you can capitalize on growth in telecom.

Transmission equipment can be as plain looking as a small AC unit or an unobtrusive set of panels. Rooftop equipment can be installed in a cabinet or mounted on a wall. Other types of equipment can be invisible from the outside, installed in a closet just below the roof. Carriers are conscious of scenic values and extend themselves to conceal their antennas—using flagpoles, steeples, and lighthouses to disguise their apparatus.