Editing Cell site (section)

{{Short description|Communications equipment location}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox electronic component
| name              = Cell towers
| image             = Cell tower aerial.jpg
| caption           = 
| type              = Cellular telephone site
| working_principle =
| invented          =
| first_produced    = 20th century
| pins              =
| symbol            =
| symbol_caption    =
}}
[[File:Lattice cell tower-2.jpg|thumb|Cellular [[lattice tower]]]]
[[File:Cell tower In Peristeri, Greece.jpg|alt=A cell tower in Peristeri, Greece|thumb|A cell tower in Peristeri, Greece]]
A '''cell site''', '''cell phone tower''', '''cell base tower''', or '''cellular base station''' is a [[cellular frequencies|cellular]]-enabled [[mobile device]] site where [[antenna (electronics)|antennas]] and electronic communications equipment are placed (typically on a [[Radio masts and towers|radio mast, tower]], or other raised structure) to create a cell, or adjacent cells, in a [[cellular network]]. The raised structure typically supports antenna{{clarify|reason=one or many?|date=December 2019}} and one or more sets of transmitter/receivers [[transceiver]]s, [[digital signal processor]]s, control electronics, a [[GPS receiver]] for timing (for [[CDMA2000]]/[[IS-95]] or [[GSM]] systems), primary and [[backup electrical power]] sources, and sheltering.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://medium.com/technochronicle/cell-tower-and-its-radiation-128f4184a388| title=Learn about what is on a cell tower |author=Raj Krithin Katla| website=Medium |publisher=Techno Chronicle Magazine| date=2020-11-10|access-date=2024-08-21}}</ref>

Multiple cellular providers often save money by mounting their antennas on a common shared mast; since separate systems use different frequencies, antennas can be located close together without interfering with each other. Some provider companies operate multiple cellular networks and similarly use colocated base stations for two or more cellular networks, ([[CDMA2000]] or [[GSM]], for example).

Cell sites are sometimes required to be inconspicuous;<ref name=Chung/> they may be blended with the surrounding area<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/11/nyregion/the-girded-the-bland-and-the-prickly.html|title=The Girded, The Bland And the Prickly|first=Carin|last=Rubenstein|newspaper=The New York Times|date=11 July 2004|access-date=18 February 2017|archive-date=25 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625054042/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/11/nyregion/the-girded-the-bland-and-the-prickly.html|url-status=live}}</ref> or mounted on buildings<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/21/nyregion/21celltower.html|title=Good Cellphone Service Comes at a Price|first1=Cara|last1=Buckley|first2=Matt|last2=Richtel|newspaper=The New York Times|date=20 August 2010|access-date=18 February 2017|archive-date=4 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204052859/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/21/nyregion/21celltower.html|url-status=live}}</ref> or advertising towers.<ref><nowiki>https://www.ni.com/en/solutions/semiconductor/wireless-infrastructure-development/how-cell-towers-work.html#:~:text=Stealth%20Tower,structures%20like%20buildings%20or%20signage</nowiki>.</ref> Preserved treescapes can often hide cell towers inside an artificial or preserved tree. These installations are generally referred to as concealed cell sites or stealth cell sites.<ref name=Chung>{{cite web | url=https://www.techeblog.com/24-cell-phone-towers-disguised-as-everyday-things/| title=24 Cell Phone Towers Disguised as Everyday Things |author=Jackson Chung| website=TechBlog| publisher=Honekai Media|date=2013-08-10|access-date=2024-08-21}}</ref>