Next year will be the ‘most impactful year’ for American Tower ‘w...

new site deployments” by the prepay carriers since “both companies have made progress in planning and staffing for the deployment of their auction 66 markets,” he said. By 2009, Metro and Leap will have the “equivalent” of a fifth national network regardless of whether they merge because “there is little overlap in their respective licenses,” he added. However, the top four U.S. carriers will continue to represent the majority of American Tower business, Taiclet said. “AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon will add sites for quality of service and coverage, while continuing to augment selected sites with 3G service-related equipment,” he said. AT&T’s recent buy of Aloha spectrum and its “stated intention” to bid in the 700 MHz auction indicates that AT&T and other incumbent carriers are preparing for additional high-speed deployments in the future, he said. American Tower is also optimistic about the Sprint and Clearwire-led WiMAX emergence, and expects the “initial deployment” of the technology in 2008, he said. Government will be another source of business. American Tower is “positioned well” to capture business created by the FAA’s next-generation air traffic control system, he said. In the third quarter, American Tower saw revenue increase 10 percent year-over-year to $376.6 million and earnings increase 14 percent to $248.6 million. It built 42 towers and completed six in-building installations in the quarter, expects to have 165 new sites completed for the full year, and predicts 250 to 350 new towers in 2008, said Chief Financial Officer Brad Singer. The tower company’s success was driven by “continued robust demand for tower space and diligent operational execution by our managers and employees,” Taiclet said. Also Wednesday, American Tower said National Grid Wireless CEO Steve Marshall has joined American as International Business Development executive vice president.