Increased numbers of stealth towers and small cells raise safety and regulatory concerns

You've seen them driving down highways: "camouflaged" cell towers that look like forlorn fake evergreens, sticking out of the surrounding scenery like a sore thumb. However, recently concealment has become more popular, more artistic and more necessary as carriers look to put new towers in populated areas that may need a boost to coverage. As tower concealment's popularity continues to increase, those who build the disguises are looking for the best ways to modernize. In many cases, that means keeping up with the latest in radio equipment -- but as concealed towers become commonplace and more corporations try to get their hands in the game, the industry may need to take a look at who is responsible for regulating these innovative disguises. According to Todd Schlekeway, executive director of the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE), some tower companies are working on getting into the stealth build market themselves -- but most agree that it's a task best left to the professionals. For more on this trend, check out this FierceInstaller special report.