Monopole
A single tapered steel pole, usually 50 to 200 feet tall, with antennas mounted on a platform or arms near the top. Monopoles need little ground and look tidier than lattice towers, so they are the common choice in suburbs and along highways. They carry fewer tenants than a big lattice tower. In FCC records they appear as MTOWER, and in our results as "Monopole".
Lattice tower (self-supporting)
A three- or four-legged open steel frame, wide at the base and narrowing toward the top. Lattice towers are strong, can be very tall, and hold many antennas and dishes, so they are common in rural areas and at sites shared by several carriers and radio users. They need more land than a monopole. FCC code: LTOWER.
Guyed tower
A slender lattice mast held upright by steel cables anchored in the ground around it. Guyed towers are the cheapest way to go very tall, so the tallest structures in most states, often TV and FM masts over 1,000 feet, are guyed. They need a large footprint for the anchors. FCC code: GTOWER.
Stealth and disguised sites
Where neighbours or zoning boards object to a visible tower, the antennas are hidden. Monopines and monopalms are monopoles wearing artificial branches. Flagpole sites hide antennas inside a thick pole. Church steeples, clock towers, fake chimneys, water tanks and rooftop screens all conceal antennas. They cost more and often hold fewer carriers, but they get approved where open towers would not.
Rooftops and buildings
In cities, many sites are antennas fixed to the edges of rooftops or to building walls, often painted to match. They use existing height, so they need no tower at all. Tall buildings appear in the FCC registry because of their height, sometimes with antennas on top (coded BANT or BTWR), but most rooftop sites are not registered.
Small cells
Small cells are low-power sites mounted on streetlights, utility poles or slim new poles, adding capacity in dense areas and carrying millimetre-wave 5G. They serve a few blocks at most and are not in the tower registry.
At a glance
Every result in our tower finder shows the structure type as filed with the FCC, so you know what to look for before you go and see it.
| Type | Typical height | Where you see it | Carriers per site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monopole | 50 to 200 ft | Suburbs, highways | 1 to 3 |
| Lattice | 100 to 400 ft | Rural, shared sites | Several |
| Guyed | 200 to 2,000 ft | Broadcast, open country | Varies |
| Stealth | 50 to 150 ft | Residential, scenic areas | 1 to 2 |
| Rooftop | Building height | Cities | 1 to 3 |
| Small cell | 20 to 40 ft | Downtown streets | Usually 1 |