Why do so many different companies want to place antennas on my roof?

(This column is part of a weekly question-and-answer series on telecommunications services designed to help real estate professionals compete for and retain tenants.)

In our increasingly technology reliant marketplace, what is considered a communications amenity today will be a corporate necessity tomorrow. Building owners that put advanced telecommunications systems in place will have a competitive advantage in attracting and maintaining tenants.

Why do different companies want to put antennas on my roof?

Wireless communications, cellular phones and pager companies need many large antennas to provide customers with service outside your building. Fixed wireless providers need a few small antennas to service their customers, who are tenants within your building.

My buildings all have high occupancy. Why should I worny about improving telecommunications services?

Real estate is a cyclical industry dependent on many factors, including the state of the economy and the strength of the stock market. Providing state-of-the-art telecommunications services reduces tenant turnover and makes your buildings attractive to a wide range of companies, regardless of economic conditions.

What are the ways that telecom services can be delivered to my building?

Aside from specialized satellite delivery, there are only three means by which telecom services can be delivered to your building. Signals can travel through:

* Traditional copper wire installed by the Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC);

* Fiber-optic cable installed by either the RBOC or by a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) -- a non-Bell telecom provider;

* Fixed wireless signal to your rooftop antenna, installed by a fixed wireless carrier, which is also a CLEC.

Term of the Week

T1 Line/Fractional T1: A T1 communications line can send and receive about 1.5 million bits of data per second -- about 50 times faster than a voice line. It supports high-speed data transmission, Internet access and video-conferencing, or can replace many phone lines. Companies can also lease a fractional T1 line to get just the bandwidth they need, e.g. 128,000 bits per second. Rick Uhl is President and COO of Winstar for Buildings.