The University of Delaware has signed an agreement with Crown Castle, the nation’s largest provider of shared communications infrastructure, to erect a cell tower that will house the communication antennas currently sitting atop the Christiana Towers. The tower will provide critical connectivity for everyday mobile use and emergency communications. The new stand-alone structure will be at the corner of a Laird campus parking lot close in proximity to the current site to ensure continuity for emergency communications, eliminating the cost to public safety agencies that would otherwise have to recalibrate their equipment.

The new tower is expected to be shorter than the height of the Christiana Towers and the antennas. It will be harder to see from multiple locations, thus reducing the visual impact of the current configuration, while providing communications capabilities that include emergency services communications, pager communications, cell phone services, the UD Facilities radio system and WVUD. With 80% of 911 calls placed from a wireless device, reliable service is more important than ever.

“Our goal was to find a partner to build a new communications tower that would continue to be effective and reliable for our state and municipal partners,” said Sharon Pitt, vice president of information technologies and chief information officer for UD. “We included Newark officials throughout the process to make sure this would meet their needs at a location with minimal community impact.”

In the coming days, engineers from Crown Castle will conduct a balloon test, which is designed to help visualize the height of the new tower. Construction is anticipated to commence in the first quarter of next year and is forecasted for completion in June 2021.