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The firm’s chief commercial officer said that Crown Castle’s long-term customer contracts provide visibility into future activity, while spectrum acquisitions and auctions could provide additional support
In sum – what to know
2026 marks low point – Crown Castle forecasts 3.6% organic growth this year, excluding Sprint attrition, and expects activity and growth to improve from there.
Spectrum supports activity – AT&T’s 600 MHz acquisition, upcoming auctions and longer-term spectrum availability could support future tower activity, although carriers may adjust plans before deployments.
Edge enters trials – Crown Castle is testing neocloud deployments with Available Infrastructure, using existing sites, power and fiber while avoiding significant capex and data-center ownership.
Crown Castle expects 2026 to represent a low point for organic growth, with spectrum deployments, AI-driven network requirements, and emerging edge opportunities providing potential sources of future activity.
Speaking at the Bank of America 2026 Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference, the company’s chief commercial officer Kris Hinson said Crown Castle expects organic growth of 3.6% in 2026. He said the company expects that figure to represent a low point, with activity and growth improving from there.
The company also expects activity to be somewhat back-end loaded during 2026. Hinson said Crown Castle’s long-term customer contracts provide visibility into future activity, while spectrum acquisitions and auctions could provide additional support.
Spectrum could drive future tower activity
Hinson highlighted AT&T’s acquisition of 600 MHz spectrum from EchoStar as one potential source of future activity. He said low-band spectrum tends to require larger equipment and that AT&T’s spending on the spectrum makes deployment something he expects to benefit the tower industry.
He also pointed to spectrum auctions expected in late 2026 and early 2027. Longer term, Hinson noted that the Federal Communications Commission has talked about auctioning up to 800 MHz of spectrum.
However, spectrum acquisitions do not necessarily translate immediately into tower deployments. Carriers first need to determine how to incorporate newly acquired spectrum into their network plans, and that process can temporarily affect activity.
Hinson said Crown Castle saw lower tower activity in the second quarter than in 2025, reflecting a combination of market conditions and individual customer planning. Newly acquired spectrum can lead carriers to optimize or rework network plans, potentially causing them to pause some previously planned activity.
AI could create longer-term demand
AI is not currently affecting Crown Castle’s numbers or its 2026 forecast, according to Hinson, but he described the technology as a longer-term opportunity for the tower business.
“I think that it’s something that is not having an impact today on what we see come through the numbers. But I do think it’s something that we’re certainly excited about,” he said.
One potential impact could come from applications requiring significantly greater uplink capacity. Hinson said some AI use cases could require uplink capacity three times higher compared to current levels.
Hinson also said it is difficult to imagine the growth of AI and data-center computing not eventually translating into increased device and mobile-data consumption.
Looking further ahead, he said AI adoption and new applications could create demand for highly sensitive, ultra-low-latency use cases. He expects macro towers to remain part of the solution while small cells also expand.
Neocloud trial tests edge opportunity
Crown Castle is also in the early stages of a trial with Available Infrastructure, a customer looking to build a nationwide network of neocloud data centers.
Hinson described the initiative as a trial phase intended to determine the potential size and timing of the concept. Rather than creating a new data-center business, Crown Castle is looking to apply its existing assets and capabilities. “We’re not looking at spending a lot of capex on any of this stuff. We’re not looking at buying or building data centers. We’re not looking at operating something that we’re not operating today,” he said.
Crown Castle instead has 40,000 towers, with power and fiber availability on virtually all of its sites. The company is evaluating how those assets could be used for edge applications, including leasing space vertically or horizontally.
Hinson said the portfolio includes urban, suburban, and rural locations but is more heavily weighted toward urban and suburban markets.
