What Tower Systems does

Tower Systems, Inc. is a privately held, woman-owned (WBENC and SBA WOSB certified) tower infrastructure company founded in 1975 and headquartered in Watertown, South Dakota, with a Southeast division in Winter Park, Florida and a satellite office in Angle Inlet, Minnesota. The company designs, installs, maintains, and upgrades telecommunications and meteorological towers, holding General Contractor licenses in 14 states and reporting project delivery across 30+ countries. Its core proprietary technology is the patented TS Elevator Systems family (TS-HOE, TS-2000, TS-2500), instrumentation elevators that raise and lower tower-mounted equipment without requiring technicians to climb, complemented by a Full AMI Turnkey Solution for utility Advanced Metering Infrastructure and SCADA networks.\n\nThe business operates a B2B project-services model: revenue is generated through custom-quoted, project-specific engagements covering tower installation, maintenance, technology upgrades (antenna/RRU/coax/fiber), and meteorological instrumentation, executed by specialized field crews at client sites. Customers are segmented horizontally across wireless carriers, independent tower companies, utilities and municipalities, meteorological operators, public safety agencies, and federal/military clients, with named long-tenured engagements in U.S. commercial nuclear utilities and Department of Energy facilities. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales, supported by industry-association participation (NATE), workforce-development partnerships (Lake Area Technical College), and Woman-Owned Business certifications that open federal and utility set-aside procurement channels. The company is family-operated under second-generation CEO Kari L. Carlson and President Eric Anderson, with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or external ownership.

Name

Tower Systems

Legal name

Tower Systems Inc.

Website

https://towersystems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Tower Systems is a privately held, woman-owned tower infrastructure firm that designs, installs, and maintains telecommunications and meteorological towers — anchored by patented TS Elevator Systems — for wireless carriers, utilities, government, and military clients across the U.S. and 30+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Telecommunications Tower Services

NAICS

Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction (237130)

SIC

Prefabricated Metal Buildings & Components (3448)

akta.pro primary industry

Telecom Tower & Mast Construction (Greenfield Builds, Foundations, Erection) (IMAFAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tower Operations & Maintenance (Field Services) (HDAIAKAF), Tower Upgrades & Structural Reinforcement (Height Extensions, Mods, Mounts) (IMAFAIAD)

Keywords

• Tower installation services
• Telecommunications infrastructure
• Tower maintenance services
• Meteorological tower systems
• Instrumentation elevator systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Watertown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tower Installation Services: Turnkey macro tower installation, self-supporting towers, guyed towers, monopoles, concealment structures, foundations, grounding, civil work, shelters, microwave, small cell installations, and antenna/line work
2. Tower Maintenance Services: Ongoing maintenance including tower inspections, mapping, site inspections, lighting repair, corrosion correction, anchor inspections, plumb and tension, modifications, antenna/feedline troubleshooting, grounding repairs, microwave path alignment
3. Technology Upgrades: Antenna upgrades, overlays, RRU replacements, coax and fiber replacement, hybrid and fiber optic lines, testing services (fiber, PIM, OTDR, sweep)
4. Elevator Systems Sales and Installation: Sale and installation of proprietary TS Elevator Systems including TS-HOE, TS-2000, and TS-2500 models
5. MET Services: Meteorological services including instrumentation, wind farm met towers, measurement masts, anemometers, wind vanes, boom supply/installation, barometric and temperature sensors

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tower Systems designs, installs, maintains, and upgrades telecommunications and meteorological towers for wireless carriers, utilities, government, military, and wind farm operators. Its foundational offering is the patented TS Elevator Systems family (TS-HOE, TS-2000, TS-2500) of instrumentation elevators that allow safe raising and lowering of instruments without tower climbers. The company also delivers full AMI/SCADA turnkey aerial installations, antenna and line work, and meteorological measurement mast services.

Product overview

Tower Systems is a world-leading tower solutions company offering a comprehensive portfolio of physical infrastructure services for the telecommunications industry. The core offerings include three patented TS Elevator System models (TS-HOE, TS-2000, TS-2500) for instrumentation elevators, complemented by full tower installation services, maintenance, technology upgrades, and MET (meteorological) services. The company also provides a Full AMI Turnkey Solution for utility network infrastructure. These products and services are offered as discrete professional service offerings rather than a unified software platform, with the elevator systems being the company's foundational patented technology developed by founder Bill Carlson.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TS Elevator Systems (TS-HOE, TS-2000, TS-2500) Patented instrumentation elevator systems for telecommunications and meteorological towers. Three models are offered: TS-HOE for towers under 30 feet with manual drive; TS-2000 power-driven elevator for multiple instrument levels; and TS-2500 highest performance model designed for severe weather and wind conditions. Built with aluminum and stainless steel for durability in harsh environments, the systems allow safe raising and lowering of instruments without tower climbers.
• Tower Installations Comprehensive tower installation services for wireless carriers, utilities, government, and military customers. Includes turnkey macro tower installation, self-supporting towers, guyed towers, monopoles, concealment structures, foundations, grounding, civil work, shelters and enclosures, microwave, small cell, and antenna/line installations (Coax, Elliptical, Hybrid). Capable of deployments in remote locations and rugged terrain.
• Tower Maintenance Full-service tower maintenance for tower owners and operators. Includes inspections, mapping, site inspections, tower lighting repair, corrosion correction, anchor inspections, plumb and tension services, tower modifications, antenna and feedline troubleshooting, grounding repairs, HF/AM/FM tower services, and microwave path alignment.
• Technology Upgrades Technology upgrade services for telecommunications towers including antenna upgrades, overlays, RRU replacements, coax and fiber replacement, hybrid and fiber optic line installation, and testing services (Fiber, PIM, OTDR, and Sweep Testing). Supports carrier network evolution and 5G-related hardware refreshes.
• MET Services Meteorological services for wind farms and meteorological data collection operators. Includes instrumentation, wind farm met towers, measurement masts, anemometers and wind vanes, boom supply and installation, elevator systems supply and installation, and barometric and temperature sensors.
• Full AMI Turnkey Solution Complete aerial installation solution for Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and SCADA utility networks. Includes collectors, antennas, data lines, power circuits, and solar panel installations across towers, water tanks, rooftops, utility poles, and light structures, with focus on FCC regulatory compliance for utility communications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1500+ consecutive days without an OSHA reportable incident (4+ years)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Lake Area Technical CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2021Partnership to launch a Telecommunications Tower Technician Apprenticeship Program announced at the 'We Rise' rebrand event in May 2021. This workforce development initiative aims to train the next generation of tower technicians through classroom and field-based certificate programs.
• NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded in 1995 by Bill Carlson along with 61 other companies. Tower Systems founder Bill Carlson was a co-founder and advocate for industry safety. NATE now has over 1,000 member companies and advocates for tower technician safety. Tower Systems continues to operate under the safety fundamentals established through NATE.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SAI Communications: Telecommunications tower construction and maintenance services firm of similar scale, directly competing for the same wireless carrier and tower-company customers across U.S. regions with analogous turnkey installation, antenna/line, and modification capabilities.
• Betacom: Specialty telecom infrastructure services company offering tower construction, small-cell deployment, and wireless network services — overlapping directly with Tower Systems' installation, maintenance, and technology-upgrade offerings.
• Sabre Industries: Communications infrastructure manufacturer and services provider producing towers, poles, and related structures, with installation services — directly comparable both as a tower manufacturer and field-services counterpart to Tower Systems.
• Tower Engineering Professionals: Engineering-led tower services firm providing inspection, structural analysis, modification design, and maintenance — directly comparable technical-services overlap, particularly for regulated/utility customers.
• Centerline Communications: Wireless infrastructure services company performing tower and small-cell construction, DAS, and network upgrades for carriers — directly comparable GTM motion and service mix to Tower Systems.

Broad incumbents

• Valmont Industries: Diversified global manufacturer of steel and aluminum structures including utility and communications towers and poles; operates at significantly larger scale than Tower Systems but shares the tower-manufacturing and infrastructure-services adjacency.
• TESSCO Technologies: Distributor and value-added provider of products and supply-chain services to the wireless infrastructure industry; broader incumbent serving many of Tower Systems' carrier and tower-company customers from the supply side.
• CommScope: Large global provider of infrastructure solutions for communications networks, including antennas and connectivity products deployed on towers; a much larger incumbent whose equipment Tower Systems installs on a project basis.
• American Tower: Largest global owner/operator of communications real estate, increasingly performing its own construction and maintenance; represents both a potential customer (third-party services) and structural competitive threat via vertical integration.
• Crown Castle: Major U.S. tower and fiber infrastructure owner operating tens of thousands of towers; similar to American Tower in functioning both as a buyer of third-party services and a competing in-house construction capability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/towersystemsinc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tower Systems