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Verizon and SBA Communications Forge Long-Term Agreement to Strengthen Network Infrastructure

Verizon and SBA Communications have entered into a multi-year strategic agreement aimed at amplifying wireless network coverage and driving sustained operational efficiencies across the United States. As part of the deal, Verizon gains enhanced leasing terms and access to SBA’s nationwide portfolio of wireless infrastructure, including thousands of tower locations in strategic urban and rural markets.

This partnership reshapes key dynamics in the U.S. telecom sector by facilitating accelerated 5G deployments, reducing time-to-market for new buildouts, and optimizing site leasing costs—three priorities driving future network innovation. The agreement is expected to streamline processes, minimize overhead complexity, and help Verizon expand its reach while maintaining high service quality and network performance.

How will this collaboration influence next-generation wireless services and infrastructure growth across the country? The answer lies in the deliberate alignment of capabilities, assets, and long-term planning between two of the industry's most significant players.

Two Powerhouses Shaping the Future of Wireless Connectivity

Verizon: At the Forefront of Wireless Innovation

Verizon stands as the largest mobile network operator in the United States by subscriber base, with over 143 million wireless retail connections as of Q1 2024. The company has consistently led in network performance, topping industry benchmarks including RootMetrics and J.D. Power network quality assessments for over a decade. Verizon’s capital investments have exceeded $130 billion since 2010, channeling extensive funds into network expansion, spectrum acquisition, and 5G deployment.

The carrier launched its commercial 5G service in 2019 and has since scaled it across urban and rural markets across the U.S. using a mix of mmWave (Ultra Wideband) and C-band spectrum. By the end of 2023, its 5G Ultra Wideband service reached over 200 million people in more than 330 cities, underpinned by a dense infrastructure of small cells and macro towers.

SBA Communications: A Backbone of Wireless Infrastructure

SBA Communications Corporation ranks among the top three independent tower companies in the United States and operates in 14 markets internationally. As of December 2023, SBA held ownership or management rights to more than 39,000 communication sites globally, including 17,600 towers in the U.S. alone. The company’s portfolio enables wireless carriers to deploy infrastructure faster, scale coverage, and reduce capital expenditure.

SBA operates under a leasing model, giving carriers flexible access to tower real estate while providing consistent revenue streams. The long-term nature of these lease agreements—with typical initial terms of 5 to 15 years—supports operational stability and predictable cash flows. SBA’s net operating income margins routinely exceed 75%, underscoring the efficiency of its business model.

Previous Collaborations: A History of Mutual Strategic Interest

While Verizon and SBA Communications have engaged in various tower lease arrangements over the years, today’s long-term agreement marks a deeper level of alignment. Prior collaborations largely followed standard tower leasing contracts. However, this new agreement reflects a shift toward more integrated partnerships, enabling strategic alignment on siting, equipment deployment, and long-term asset use.

Such evolution reflects broader trends in the telecom sector, where network operators and infrastructure providers co-develop solutions that meet current and next-gen requirements. SBA’s long-standing relationship with Verizon has created a framework for faster permit cycles, reduced leasing friction, and streamlined deployment timelines.

Dissecting the New Verizon-SBA Agreement: A Blueprint for Operational Efficiency

Long-Term Duration and Scope

The new agreement between Verizon and SBA Communications spans multiple years, forming a stable foundation for long-range planning. While the companies have not disclosed the exact term length publicly, industry precedent and language around “long-term” typically indicate a commitment of at least 10 years. This multi-year framework allows for streamlined project execution and cost forecasting across both parties’ operations.

Amendments to Existing Leasing Contracts

Key amendments target Verizon’s current occupancy on SBA-owned towers. These changes revise lease structures to provide greater flexibility in equipment deployment, site usage, and renewal terms. By adjusting provisions that previously restricted upgrade cycles, the agreement now enables scaled modernization across thousands of towers without the need to renegotiate terms individually.

Streamlined Processes for New Sites and Upgrades

Procedural efficiency lies at the heart of the revised deal. SBA and Verizon have committed to a standardized processing protocol for adding new sites and upgrading existing installations. This unified process reduces bureaucratic delays by minimizing back-and-forth between legal, technical, and regulatory compliance teams. As a result, the timeline from planning to deployment will shrink—accelerating Verizon’s ability to bring new coverage areas and capacity enhancements online.

Financial and Operational Benefits for Both Parties

Together, these contract updates redefine the operational playbook for large-scale telecom infrastructure partnerships. Verizon gains agility in deployment; SBA secures long-term tenancy. Both parties lower cost barriers while opening the door to nationwide 5G expansion.

5G Network Deployment: Accelerating Rollout with Partnerships

Advancing Verizon’s 5G Strategy Through Strategic Collaboration

Verizon’s swift advancement in 5G deployment gains momentum through its partnership with SBA Communications. This agreement delivers immediate gains by securing long-term access to SBA’s national portfolio of tower sites, enabling Verizon to densify its network at speed and scale. With over 17,000 towers across the U.S., SBA provides ready-to-deploy infrastructure in both urban centers and underserved areas, directly supporting Verizon’s goal to deliver Ultra Wideband service to more than 250 million people by the end of 2024.

Maximizing SBA Tower Assets for High-Speed Infrastructure

SBA's tower locations offer not just vertical real estate but also existing power and fiber connectivity, reducing the time-to-market for Verizon’s 5G builds. In high-demand areas, co-locations on SBA towers eliminate the need for new site development, accelerating deployment while preserving capital. These assets anchor Verizon’s small cell and macro cell strategies, bridging high-performance connectivity across metro zones, suburban corridors, and critical rural highways.

Utilizing Mid-Band and Millimeter Wave Spectrum More Effectively

The agreement enables Verizon to harness the full potential of its spectrum assets—specifically the C-band (mid-band) and mmWave (millimeter wave) holdings. By leveraging SBA infrastructure, Verizon increases the operational efficiency of mid-band spectrum, particularly advantageous for its balance of coverage and capacity. Meanwhile, mmWave installations benefit from SBA’s urban tower clusters that support dense node deployment, ensuring ultra-fast speeds and low latency in data-intensive environments like stadiums, transit hubs, and city centers.

This integrated use of spectrum bands—enabled by scalable access to SBA towers—allows Verizon to meet increasing user demand while maintaining consistent network quality. The combination of wide-area mid-band coverage with targeted mmWave high-capacity zones positions Verizon’s 5G architecture to outperform competing networks on both speed and reliability metrics.

Expanding Network Reach: Infrastructure Gains from Verizon and SBA’s Agreement

Leverage of SBA’s National Tower Portfolio Boosts Verizon’s Coverage Footprint

By activating long-term leasing agreements across SBA Communications’ extensive U.S. tower portfolio, Verizon gains immediate access to thousands of existing vertical assets. These strategically located towers—totaling over 17,000 across the United States—serve as critical nodes for macro and small cell deployments. The integration accelerates coverage improvements in both high-density and underserved regions, narrowing service gaps while reducing buildout timeframes.

Elevated Capacity Across Urban Centers, Suburbs, and Remote Areas

In urban centers where data traffic peaks during both work and leisure hours, additional antenna placements on SBA towers will relieve strain on existing nodes. Suburban expansion supports increasing population shifts beyond city cores, while rural deployments extend connectivity to previously underconnected zones. This broad-spectrum expansion results in more consistent signal strength, reduced latency, and optimized throughput—from central business districts to farmlands.

IoT and Streaming Ecosystem Demands Drive Network Modernization

Verizon’s infrastructure ramp-up directly addresses exponential growth in wireless traffic. According to Ericsson’s 2023 Mobility Report, mobile data usage in North America is projected to leap from 55 GB/month per smartphone in 2023 to over 125 GB by 2028. As homes, vehicles, and industrial systems embed more IoT sensors and platforms like Netflix, YouTube, and TikTok dominate mobile bandwidth, existing spectrum resources require densification. SBA’s tower assets enable this by supporting installation of advanced antennas, radios, and edge computing devices.

Focused Upgrades for Evolving Customer Expectations

The Verizon-SBA initiative ensures infrastructure evolves in tandem with consumer behavior. Increased reliance on mobile devices for everyday tasks, from video conferencing to home automation, translates into higher performance expectations. The upgraded infrastructure directly supports Verizon's existing Ultra Wideband and C-band initiatives, layering additional access points to deliver stronger, faster connectivity regardless of geography.

Unlocking Infrastructure Efficiency: Smarter Costs and Smarter Assets

Leasing Efficiencies Cut the Waste

Through the long-term agreement, Verizon leverages SBA Communications’ established tower network nationwide. By shifting from asset ownership to infrastructure leasing, Verizon reduces the need for capital expenditures associated with building new sites. This not only shortens deployment timelines but also minimizes redundant spending on real estate, permitting, and construction management.

Instead of constructing or buying individual tower sites, Verizon accesses SBA’s shared infrastructure model. SBA owns and operates over 36,000 high-value communication sites across the Americas and South Africa. Utilizing this existing footprint translates to significant cost-per-site reductions—especially in difficult-to-permit or high-demand urban markets.

Strategic CAPEX Management and Smarter Resource Allocation

Capital expenditure allocation delivers high returns only when aligned with network growth strategy. Through this alliance, Verizon reallocates funds toward spectrum optimization, advanced radio technologies, and software-driven network management—areas with higher ROI compared to greenfield tower construction.

The move also enables more predictable budgeting cycles. Fixed long-term lease agreements with SBA reduce volatility in infrastructure spending, providing Verizon’s finance and operations teams with a clearer view of mid- and long-term capital planning.

Maximizing Long-Term Value from Assets

This partnership illustrates how asset-light strategies can unlock strategic flexibility. Verizon no longer bears the full burden of infrastructure maintenance, site upgrades, or land lease renegotiations—SBA absorbs these responsibilities while Verizon capitalizes on network performance and customer experience improvements.

Meanwhile, SBA benefits by increasing tenancy ratios across existing towers. Higher tenancy per tower improves asset utilization and revenue per site, making the model economically compelling for both parties. It’s a mutual win: Verizon avoids duplicative builds, SBA monetizes existing infrastructure more efficiently.

What does this mean long-term? Both companies amplify return on invested capital—Verizon by keeping infrastructure spend lean and targeted, SBA by extracting greater yield from its asset base.

Optimizing Wireless Efficiency and Reliability Through Strategic Infrastructure

Verizon and SBA Communications are reshaping the operational backbone of wireless networks by rethinking how infrastructure partnerships function. Their new long-term agreement bypasses conventional processes, enabling a faster, more agile deployment strategy built on pre-negotiated terms. This method eliminates delays often caused by permitting and contract renegotiation, cutting down deployment timelines substantially.

With fewer bureaucratic hurdles, Verizon gains streamlined access to thousands of SBA sites across the U.S., giving teams the green light to install, upgrade, and maintain equipment with reduced turnaround times. Fewer delays translate directly into quicker local rollouts, tighter upgrade cycles, and broader service reach in less time. The result? A dynamic, scalable infrastructure equipped to support real-time network demands.

Enhancing Latency, Speed, and Throughput

Efficiency isn't measured only by how long it takes to bring a tower online. This agreement boosts network-level performance metrics: lower latency, higher throughput, and improved data capacity. Shared infrastructure enables edge computing deployments closer to users, minimizing signal travel distance. That proximity directly lowers latency, essential for services like real-time video, AR/VR, and autonomous systems.

As more spectrum bands—particularly mid-band and mmWave—enter active use, Verizon uses SBA’s infrastructure to disperse data loads more effectively. The improved site density reduces congestion, increases available bandwidth per user, and strengthens overall network performance during peak traffic times. Faster, more consistent user experiences result, regardless of geography.

Increasing Uptime and Boosting Continuity

High service availability depends on the reliability of the underlying infrastructure. Partnering with SBA Communications gives Verizon redundancy through shared assets and distributed core elements. Sites operated by SBA undergo routine inspection, real-time monitoring, and advanced diagnostics. These measures, embedded into the agreement, reduce unscheduled outages and boost operational uptime.

Rather than bundling siloed towers, this agreement creates an interconnected ecosystem. Every antenna site becomes part of a broader, resilient network fabric—one that balances performance demand with maintenance efficiency and reliability benchmarks.

The Strategic Value of Long-Term Partnerships in Telecom

Telecommunications leaders are shifting their focus toward multi-year strategic alliances, moving away from short-term vendor relationships. This pivot is reshaping how networks are designed, deployed, and maintained. Agreements like the one between Verizon and SBA Communications illustrate how deliberate, long-term collaboration produces measurable value across the board.

Multi-Year Collaborations Reflect an Industry Trend

The telecom sector has entered a period where multi-year infrastructure deals dominate. These agreements offer predictability, reduce procurement cycles, and align incentives between tower companies and wireless operators. According to a 2023 report by Deloitte, long-term strategic partnerships in telecom have grown by over 35% in the last five years, largely driven by 5G deployment needs and the rising costs of infrastructure.

Such alliances go beyond leasing assets—they foster co-investment in innovation. Instead of negotiating one-off tower lease agreements, carriers like Verizon invest in long-term access to scalable infrastructure, allowing them to plan several years ahead. This means smoother deployments, quicker market response, and lower total cost of ownership.

Verizon and SBA Set a Standard for Integrated Collaboration

Verizon and SBA Communications are modeling this evolved relationship structure. Their long-term agreement isn't just about tower usage—it’s about integrating operations to drive network efficiency. This approach enables shared planning at a strategic level, aligning priorities across capital investment, site development, and technology deployment.

By solidifying this alliance, Verizon secures consistent access to SBA’s nationwide infrastructure, including macro towers and small cells. In return, SBA benefits from higher asset utilization and predictable revenue over the contract term. This alignment turns infrastructure into a strategic asset—not just a utility.

Future-Proofing Networks Through Shared Planning

Strategically integrated partnerships support forward-looking network design and capacity planning. With a long-term roadmap in place, Verizon can coordinate its spectrum strategy, RAN architecture, and edge deployments in concert with SBA’s infrastructure roadmap. This synchronization reduces technical friction and accelerates rollout velocity.

Moreover, this cooperative planning mitigates deployment bottlenecks. Sites are acquired, permitted, and constructed with joint foresight, drastically cutting delays. Verizon and SBA can prioritize regions based on evolving demand, ensuring that capital is directed at high-growth zones and minimizing overbuild.

The result is a network build-out architecture that remains adaptive, resilient, and cost-efficient, capable of scaling with demand while embracing the rapid pace of wireless innovation. Long-term partnerships, built around aligned visions and shared infrastructure, are not just efficient—they are transforming the competitive landscape of telecom.

Shaping the Future: Economic and Industry-Wide Impact of the Verizon and SBA Agreement

Encouraging Industry Collaboration and Infrastructure Sharing

This long-term partnership between Verizon and SBA Communications signals a broader shift toward cooperative infrastructure strategies in telecom. By leveraging SBA’s extensive tower portfolio, Verizon reduces the need for redundant construction. This move not only trims capital expenditures but also opens the door for smaller carriers to follow suit, increasing network access and leveling the playing field.

Collaborative models like this intensify pressure on the rest of the industry to re-evaluate isolated deployments. The result? A more cohesive national infrastructure grid, where shared assets reduce environmental disruption, accelerate deployment timelines, and ultimately improve service delivery across the board.

Setting a Precedent for Cost-Sharing Models

Verizon’s agreement with SBA provides a potent reference point for operators evaluating long-term infrastructure investments. By aligning on scalable usage terms and streamlined lease structures, both companies establish an operational model that prioritizes long-term cost control over short-term exclusivity.

Expect to see similar frameworks fueling regional and metro-area growth where dense infrastructure layering has historically posed high cost barriers.

Accelerating Innovation Through Reduced Deployment Barriers

By lowering the friction tied to securing tower access and infrastructure placement, the Verizon–SBA agreement frees up resources for advanced technology investment. Carriers can redirect funds toward software-defined networking, virtualized RAN architectures, and AI-powered optimization tools—technologies that distinguish networks not by hardware footprint, but by fluid, intelligent performance capacity.

Moreover, the bandwidth and latency performance enabled by agile infrastructure rollouts sharpens the ecosystem for emerging applications—from autonomous logistics to broadband AR/VR experiences. Entrepreneurs building next-gen services benefit directly when physical networks adapt faster and cost less to expand.

This partnership doesn’t just impact Verizon or SBA’s balance sheets. It reshapes the pace and accessibility of network innovation across the telecom landscape.

Forging Ahead: A Shared Vision for Future Connectivity

Verizon and SBA Communications are positioned to redefine wireless connectivity by leveraging a multi-year infrastructure agreement that blends operational efficiency with network expansion. This collaboration supports Verizon’s nationwide 5G ambitions while maximizing SBA’s high-value real estate assets, creating measurable advantages for both companies and their customer base.

With SBA providing streamlined access to its portfolio of towers, Verizon enhances its ability to deploy 5G mid-band spectrum quickly and at scale. This results in faster service deployments, stronger signal reliability, and broader geographic reach. Customers directly benefit through reduced latency, higher network speeds, and more consistent performance across urban, suburban, and rural areas.

As the wireless industry advances into ultrafast, low-latency 5G use cases—from autonomous vehicle communication to edge computing—the backbone infrastructure must evolve in lockstep. This agreement ensures Verizon no longer scales site-by-site but through a network-level strategy that prioritizes speed and cost certainty. SBA, in turn, aligns its tower footprint with Verizon’s rapidly shifting spectrum needs, gaining predictable revenue streams and deepening its value as a long-term infrastructure partner.

This partnership reflects a broader trend toward vertically integrated network models where collaboration replaces fragmentation. It’s no longer about isolated tower leases or sporadic site additions—agreements like this one blur traditional boundaries between carrier and landlord, creating a co-managed platform optimized for future capacity and coverage.