AT&T cell tower lease: what owners need to know

If AT&T is on a tower on your land, your rent check may not come from AT&T at all. In 2013, AT&T handed control of about 9,100 of its towers to Crown Castle and sold it about 600 more. On many of those sites, Crown Castle runs the tower and pays your ground rent, while AT&T stays on as a tenant.

So the company sending you letters is often not the one whose antennas are on the tower. Know who is who before you answer anything.

Who AT&T is to you

AT&T shows up in owners' lives in three common ways.

• Direct tenant. AT&T or one of its companies signed the lease with you and still pays you. Many AT&T leases name New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC, an AT&T company.
• Tenant on a former AT&T tower now run by Crown Castle. The tower was part of the 2013 deal. Crown Castle manages the site and sends your rent. On some of these sites the lease on paper still sits with an AT&T company, but Crown Castle handles it day to day.
• Tenant on another tower company's tower. A tower company holds your lease, and AT&T rents space from it.

The Crown Castle deal runs about 28 years on average. As each term ends, Crown Castle has the option to buy those towers outright from AT&T, with payments falling between 2032 and 2048. Crown Castle plans to stay a long time, and it wants your ground lease locked in as cheaply as possible.

What has changed for AT&T sites

• 2013: The Crown Castle deal closed in December 2013. AT&T took about $4.85 billion up front and agreed to rent space back on the towers for at least 10 years, with options to renew.
• 2022: AT&T shut off its 3G network in February 2022, and old equipment came off many sites.
• 2023 to 2026: In December 2023, AT&T signed a roughly $14 billion, five year equipment deal with Ericsson and began replacing Nokia radios at many sites.
• January 2026: AT&T closed a roughly $1 billion purchase of airwaves from UScellular.
• July 2026: AT&T closed its $23 billion purchase of airwaves from EchoStar, the parent of DISH. Boost Mobile customers now run on AT&T's cell sites, and EchoStar has said parts of Boost's own network will be shut down over time.

One point trips up a lot of owners. AT&T bought airwaves, not DISH's tower leases. If DISH is on your site and leaves, AT&T does not step into that lease or pick up that rent. New airwaves can mean AT&T wants to add equipment at its existing sites, though, and that is a moment to make sure you are paid for any extra space.

Letters you may get and how to answer

A buyout offer

These usually come from Crown Castle, another tower company, or a lease buyer, not from AT&T itself. Don't take the first number. Ask for the full written terms, including whether it is a sale of the lease or of an easement, how long it lasts, and what rights you give up. Then get competing offers. Many buyouts land around 15 to 22 times a year of rent.

A rent reduction request

AT&T has sent these before. In 2016, AT&T sent letters to tower owners and landowners asking them to cut rent to market rates, drop rent increases and allow easier early termination, and said it would look at other locations if they refused. Don't answer fast. Moving a working site costs real money, so the threat is often weaker than it reads.

An extension or amendment request

These often arrive with an equipment upgrade. Read every change. Watch for a longer term at a flat rent, smaller yearly increases, more ground space, or new rights to assign the lease. If they want more, it is fair to ask for more.

A new landlord or manager notice

Check it against your lease and your last payment. Never send bank details to a party you have not confirmed.

A removal or termination notice

Check your notice period, what rent is owed until the end date, and what your lease says about removing equipment and restoring the land.

How AT&T affects what your lease is worth

AT&T is one of the three national carriers, and buyers generally see a national carrier as a strong tenant. That helps your value.

Staying power depends on the site. AT&T spent heavily on new airwaves in 2026 and is upgrading equipment across its network, which points to long term use of well placed sites. AT&T is also very focused on cost and has pushed for rent cuts before, so sites that overlap with others carry more risk.

If AT&T is on a Crown Castle tower, a buyer looks at the whole picture: how many carriers are on the tower, years left on your lease, your yearly increases and any share of extra tenant rent. Buyers price offers as a multiple, which is the offer divided by one year of rent. Higher is better for you.

Before you sign anything

• Find out who actually holds your lease and who pays you.
• Get every offer and request in writing with full terms.
• Don't sign a rent cut or an extension without knowing what you give up.
• Get competing offers before you accept a buyout.

Common questions

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