According to statistics provided by Pew Research Center, 95% of Americans own a cellphone. As the demand of mobile data continues to rise, a growing number of cellular service providers are opting to install smaller towers that can be mounted and concealed on light poles, in lieu of the massive steel structures that many metro areas are accustomed to. 

In an effort to expand their network, AT&T recently upgraded over 140 towers in the Phoenix area to include stealth towers that allow them to get closer to their customers while still providing a site that blends in aesthetically with the area around it. Keith Niederer, the telecommunications policy coordinator for Scottsdale said, “Aesthetics is everything, especially here in Scottsdale. It’s to preserve the skyline, mountain views and so on. To help it blend into the environment better than a 70-foot-tall steel structure.” He also mentioned that since the late ’90s he’s witnessed a significant increase in companies looking to build cell sites around metro Phoenix.

The concealment poles are being manufactured by companies like Tucson-based Larson Camouflage in a variety of different sizes and creative options including pine trees, palm, trees, cyprus trees, saguaro cacti, elm trees, eucalyptus trees, and all different types of fiberglass types of disguise products for rooftops and even church steeples. Many of their designs can conceal multiple antennas. Antennas higher than 36 feet still have to go through a zoning process, and many high-use areas around Phoenix still use them.