Quarterlytics / Real Estate / REIT - Specialty / Crown Castle

Crown Castle

cci · NYSE Real Estate
Claim this profile
Ticker cci
Exchange NYSE
Sector Real Estate
Industry REIT - Specialty
Employees 1001-5000
← All annual reports
FY2000 Annual Report · Crown Castle
Sign in to download
Loading PDF…
CROWN  CASTLE  INTERNATIONAL A NN UA L REPO RT

2000

C O R P O R A T E   P R O F I L E

Crown Castle International Corp. engineers, deploys, owns and operates technologically advanced shared wireless 

infrastructure, including extensive networks of towers and rooftops as well as analog and digital audio and television 

broadcast transmission systems.

In an industry that is experiencing both rapid growth and consolidation, we are a network catalyst, linking together 

the various parts. Our towers provide the vital wireless pathways to the leased fiber ring, which provides the vast capacity

required to backhaul tomorrow’s network traffic. 

With more than 75 years of experience in engineering and operating broadcast transmission networks, and more than

20 years of experience in the ownership, leasing, design and deployment of wireless communications sites and systems,

Crown Castle is recognized as the technology leader in our sector.

Crown Castle is headquartered in Houston, Texas, with operating companies in the United States, U.K. and Australia.

S H A R E D   W I R E L E S S   I N F R A S T R U C T U R E   I S s h a p i n g   t h e   w i r e l e s s   w o r l d S M

PDA

Cellular 
Tower

Tall Tower

Cellular 
Tower

Cellular 
Tower

Mobile
Phone

Mobile 
Switching 
Center

Office 
Building

F I B E R   R I N G

Television
Studio

Central 
Office

Cellular 
Tower

Mobile
Phone

Internet

PSTN

Television

Tall Tower

Cellular 
Tower
Located at Central 
Office

Mobile
Phone

F I N A N C I A L H I G H L I G H T S

(millions of dollars)

Net Revenues:

Years Ended December 31,

1998

1999

2000

Site rental and broadcast transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $

Network services and other. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

75.0

38.1

$

113.1

EBITDA:

Site rental and broadcast transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $

Network services and other. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

$

44.7

(7.6)

37.1

$

$

$

$

267.9

77.9

345.8

140.0

(0.2)

139.8

$

$

$

$

446.1

203.1

649.2

221.2

25.9

247.1

Total sites owned and managed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

1,608

7,488

12,918

Capital expenditures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $

138.8

$

293.8

$

636.5

Total assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

1,523.2

Total debt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Redeemable preferred stock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Total stockholders’ equity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

429.7

201.1

737.6

3,836.7

1,542.3

422.9

1,617.7

6,439.8

2,602.7

842.7

2,420.9

Acquisition History
(number  of  sites)

Market Capitalization
(millions  of  dollars)

Net Worth History
(millions  of  dollars)

EBITDA
(millions  of  dollars)

12,918

6,545

6,498

3,264

247.1

7,488

2,041

1,608

453

214

12.96

12.97

12.98 12.99

12.00

404

32

12.96 12.97 8.98
IPO

3,050

1,675

139.8

37.1

3.5

1.9

939

203

15

12.98

12.99 12.00

12.96 12.97 12.98 12.99 12.00

12.96 12.97 12.98 12.99

12.00

CROWN CASTLE INTERNATIONAL 2000 AR   1

D E A R   S H A R E H O L D E R S :

2000 encompassed exciting developments on many fronts amid a difficult

stock market environment. I am pleased to report that Crown Castle

acquired a number of strategic assets during the year, integrated them

successfully, and achieved our financial targets. 

Crown Castle once again met aggressive internal economic and

project goals: (i) achieving our revenue and EBITDA targets, (ii) inte-

grating our acquired tower portfolio, and (iii) continuing to expand our

business into new products and geographies. Fueled by our vision for

success, Crown Castle has maintained the momentum required to

remain on the leading edge of our rapidly evolving industry. 

K E Y G L O B A L M A R K E T S  

Since Crown Castle’s inception in 1994, our mission has been to design,

deploy, own and operate the world’s most technologically advanced,

shared communications infrastructure. Since our early days with only a

few hundred wireless communications towers in the United States, we

have expanded rapidly in size, geographic scope and technological lead-

ership. Today, the Company’s unparalleled coverage footprint includes:

° near-universal broadcast coverage and more than 95% wireless com-

munications coverage in the United Kingdom, 

° a significant wireless communications presence in 68 of the 100 top

markets in the United States, 

° wireless communications coverage of more than 92% of the

Australian population. 

S I G N I F I C A N T   M I L E S T O N E S

Crown Castle continued to experience tremendous momentum in 

2000, achieving a number of significant milestones in scale, scope 

and technology.

° Scale. We maintained our leadership position as the largest inde-

pendent shared communications infrastructure owner in the world,

closing the year with 12,918 towers. Broken down by country, this

translated to 9,872 towers in the United States, 2,330 towers in the

United Kingdom and 716 in Australia. During 2000, we integrated more

than 5,400 sites into our organization, strengthening Crown Castle’s

reputation as the acknowledged leader in site integration. Without ques-

tion, effective site integration is one of the most complex issues facing

Ted Miller

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Crown Castle International

Towers Integrated
Crown Castle integrated 5,430
towers into its networks in 2000.

5,880

5,430

1,155

239

97

98

99

00

2 CROWN CASTLE INTERNATIONAL 2000 AR

Towers Constructed

New towers built increased 

30% in 2000.

1,178

909

194

32

97

98

99

00

Wireless Telecom

Global demand for wireless serv-

ices continues to grow unabated,

with world subscribers projected

to reach 1.22 billion by 2005.  In

the United States, wireless  is

expected to increase from 264

billion to 1 trillion Minutes of Use

(MOU) by 2005, whereas in the

same period, wireline use will

decline from current levels of

2.16 trillion to 1.42 trillion MOU.

CROWN CASTLE INTERNATIONAL 2000 AR   3

Digital Broadcast Revenues
(millions of dollars)

Digital broadcast revenue 

continues to increase as a per-

centage of U.K. total revenues.

43.8

38.2

10.5

98

99

00

Digital Broadcast

With more than 75 years of

broadcast experience, Crown

Castle is internationally

acclaimed for launching the

world’s first commercial Digital

Terrestrial Television and Digital

Audio Broadcast transmission

networks in the United Kingdom

in 1998. Industrial countries

around the globe are trending

toward similar digital television

platforms, and Crown Castle is

at the forefront of design, devel-

opment and implementation of

this trend through technological

leadership, superior availability

and performance, and turnkey

engineering, deployment and

network management.

4 CROWN CASTLE INTERNATIONAL 2000 AR

our industry, and leading information technology (IT) 

O P E R A T I O N S   R E V I E W  

systems are instrumental in our ability to successfully absorb rapid site

Crown Castle’s operations during 2000

growth while also efficiently maintaining and operating, constructing and

were characterized by several noteworthy

marketing our ever-expanding portfolio. 

developments in the United Kingdom,

° Scope. Crown Castle’s service offerings have been increased signifi-

United States and Australia as we:

cantly as we have continued to expand our turnkey design/deploy/

° expanded our unparalleled coverage foot-

own/operate model from the broadcast arena to the telecom world, as

print to an even more enviable level,

reflected in the recent completion of our first fully outsourced 

° achieved a number of significant milestones

wireless network in Northern Ireland.

° Technology. Third generation (3G) wireless mobile multimedia

in size, scale, scope and technology,

° became more operationally robust in 

(Universal Mobile Telecommunications Services, or UMTS) — the con-

our systems, 

vergence of voice, high-speed data and video — is one of the most

° fine-tuned our efficiency and expediency

exciting technologies in the marketplace. Five licenses for 3G wireless

in integrating towers, and 

services were auctioned in the United Kingdom during 2000, selling for

° expanded our business into new products

an astounding $35 billion. The auction was largely 

and strategic geographies.

responsible for some of the sell-off in the market for telecom stocks

with investors concerned whether carriers can build the networks

quickly, generate revenues and deliver returns on their huge capital

investments. Crown Castle is uniquely positioned as an ideal partner to

participate in the implementation of this revolutionary technology with

rapid deployment, and we have already secured contracts with two of

the license holders. 

K E Y D E V E L O P M E N T S   A N D

A C H I E V E M E N T S

The accompanying highlights provide an overview of our 2000 endeavors

focused on increasing shareholder value while enhancing the services

we offer customers.

° Office of the Chairman. In April 2000, we formed an Office of the

Chairman with a core objective of establishing a global strategic focus

for our business ventures. As Chairman, I work closely with five key

executives that comprise the Office of the Chairman to ensure that every

decision we make is looked at from a multi-disciplinary viewpoint.

Chuck Green, our Executive Vice President of Global Finance, is 

dedicated to raising capital, and George Reese, Executive Vice

President – International, is dedicated to identifying merger and acqui-

sition transactions. John Kelly, President & COO of our global organiza-

tion, exhibits extraordinary leadership in strategically assimilating our

interests worldwide. Alan Rees, our Executive Vice President –

Technology, focuses on the issues of technology, particularly important

CROWN CASTLE INTERNATIONAL 2000 AR   5

as the telecommunications industry becomes more integrated. Blake

Hawk, our Executive Vice President and General Counsel, facilitates

the integration of our global transactions.

° Strategic Acquisitions. At the onset of 2000, Crown Castle’s clustered

footprints encompassed 7,488 towers. By year-end, strategic acquisi-

tions enabled us to increase that count 73% to 12,918 towers, 

positioning us as the industry’s largest independent owner, operator

and consolidator. A time line of our acquisition highlights included:

January 2000 In connection with our joint venture with GTE Wireless

(an indirect subsidiary of Verizon Communications) announced in

November 1999 — the world’s largest tower transaction encompassing

2,300 towers — we closed the first tranche of 637 towers on January

31, 2000. By December we had closed the remaining 1,663 towers from

the original GTE Wireless transaction and an additional 500 sites from

GTE Wireless’s acquisition of Ameritech, representing almost one-third

of our U.S. assets and approximately 52% of our new assets as we

moved into 2001.

March 2000 Crown Castle entered the Australian market through an

agreement with Cable & Wireless Optus (Optus) to purchase 716 wireless

communications towers reaching more than 90% of the population, includ-

ing an exclusive right to develop all future tower sites for Optus over the

next six years. As a result, Crown Castle became the largest independent

tower operator in Australia, with a strategic presence in each of Australia’s

major cities — Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

June 2000 Crown Castle was awarded the contract by Manx Telecom,

a wholly owned subsidiary of British Telecommunications (BT), for the

network rollout of Europe's first planned 3G network on the Isle of Man,

Revenues
(millions of dollars)

Revenues increased more

than 85% in 2000.

649

encompassing turnkey project management, installation and commis-

sioning of the 3G radio access network, including site planning, design

and build. 

June 2000 The design, build and installation of a new digital radio 

multiplex for Switchdigital was completed by Crown Castle in a record

two months, with Crown Castle providing Switchdigital with complete 

visibility of the monitoring, diagnostic and control features of the 

multiplex equipment and transmission network.

July 2000 We acquired Terracom, a preeminent U.K. site acquisition

firm that identifies sites for our customers and handles issues relating to

building, certification and construction. 

346

113

31

97

98

99

00

6 CROWN CASTLE INTERNATIONAL 2000 AR

Site Rental Revenues
(millions of dollars)

Site rental revenue increased

more than 120% in 2000.

320

143

35

11

97

98

99

00

Third Generation Technology

Crown Castle is strategically

positioned to revolutionize

“Internet-on-the-go” third genera-

tion technology. Also known as

3G, the convergence of voice,

high-speed data and video is

one of the most exciting tech-

nologies in the rapidly advancing

marketplace. Building on

a track record of excellence in

telecom and broadcast, Crown

Castle is uniquely positioned to

offer rapid deployment, turnkey

design and build out, extensive

engineered coverage and total

outsourcing for new entrants to

the market.

CROWN CASTLE INTERNATIONAL 2000 AR   7

U N I T E D   S T A T E S

Superior Technology. Our Network Operations Center in Pittsburgh,

Additional Tower Sites. Building on our relationship with GTE, which

Pennsylvania, which was completed in 1999, reinforces Crown Castle’s

began as a joint venture announced in November 1999 for the world’s

technological leadership. This state-of-the-art facility provides 24-hour,

largest tower transaction of 2,300 towers, Crown Castle acquired 2,800

seven-day-a-week central monitoring of the various alarm points at our

additional portfolio assets during 2000. We consider this transaction, as

sites (i.e., tower lights required by FAA on specific towers, electrical

well as every acquisition during 2000 and prior, to be a significant vote of

power and temperature alarms, and monitors the electronics for digital

confidence in our Company’s ability to translate an outstanding historical

microwave and broadcast). 

track record into continued excellence in meeting carriers’ needs.

Crown Castle’s proprietary “Towers that Talk” program enables our

Strategically Clustered Footprints. Crown Castle has led the industry

towers to communicate wirelessly through our Network Operations

in strategically clustering our footprints, solving the capacity and 

Center to highly knowledgeable field service personnel. These diagnos-

expansion requirements for carriers and ranking our Company as the

ticians utilize sophisticated pocket devices to identify problems and 

industry’s leader. 

wirelessly initiate a preprogrammed series of corrective actions. As a

° At year-end, 9,872 of our 12,918 towers were located in the 

result, Crown Castle avoids disruptions in service to our carriers and

United States. 

their customers... often without going to the actual tower site. 

° Representing a significant presence in the United States, Crown

The Company’s ability to utilize technology has enabled Crown

Castle was strategically positioned in 68 of the top 100 wireless 

Castle to increase revenues at our tower sites through expanded 

communications markets at the close of 2000.

monitoring capabilities, superior maintenance and enhanced network

operations services to our customers. 

8 CROWN CASTLE INTERNATIONAL 2000 AR

November 2000 We entered a new phase of our relationship with BT

Number of New Tenants Added

with an agreement to lease space on as many as 4,000 BT exchange

sites throughout the United Kingdom for the deployment of 2G and

Increasing revenue and

Crown Castle shareholder

3G wireless services. This agreement gave Crown Castle access to

value by adding new tenants

BT’s fiber network, providing wireless operators with immediate, high-

capacity connectivity. 

5,464

October 2000 Crown Castle acquired SiteSafe, a leader in electromagnetic

emissions certification, adding a valuable environmental and revenue-

generating service to our model. 

December 2000 Increasing our position as the largest independent tower

operator in Australia, Crown Castle agreed to purchase approximately 669

wireless communications towers from Vodafone Australia, with the option

to acquire up to 600 additional towers over the next six years. 

While slightly outside the reporting period, we are also excited to

share important news regarding recent transactions:

February 2001 We agreed to lease space through a take-or-pay con-

tract to Hutchison 3G UK Limited (Hutchison) on a minimum of 4,000

Crown Castle sites (1,000 sites per year for four years) throughout the

United Kingdom for the deployment of Hutchison’s 3G wireless network. 

February 2001 During the same period, we also agreed to lease space

through a take-or-pay contract with BT Cellnet on a minimum of 1,500

Crown Castle sites (500 sites per year for three years) throughout the

United Kingdom for BT Cellnet’s 3G network rollout.

April 2001 We completed our first fully outsourced wireless network

with the launch of One 2 One’s network in Northern Ireland, represent-

ing both a watershed event and the first time a global transaction of this

type has been accomplished by a wireless service provider. The project

encompassed the design and build out of more than 200 sites.

° Tower Integration. With eleven major acquisitions under our belt,

Crown Castle has polished an effective integration formula that is easily

transferable across national boundaries and cultures. Our integration

processes and procedures have been executed on four continents,

enabling Crown Castle to (i) offer carriers access to those towers with-

in record time frames and (ii) assist in carrier expansions, which (iii)

has grown the revenue on those towers by leasing up quickly to new

tenants. 

° Aggressive Leasing. Return on existing assets remained our number

one objective as we focused on leasing up our strategic clusters of

towers. This initiative was driven in the United Kingdom by a consistent

sales effort and the addition of the One 2 One towers to the market. In

2,630

587

98

99

00

John Kelly

President and Chief Operating Officer

CROWN CASTLE INTERNATIONAL 2000 AR   9

Network Services Revenues
(millions of dollars)

Network services revenues

more than doubled in 2000 as

volume and penetration rates

increased.

the United States, we added regional offices in Chicago and San

Francisco as a result of our acquisition of the GTE Wireless assets.

With 19 U.S. regional offices, our sales and service teams are located

in close proximity to our assets and customers to provide superior

service and maximize tenant leasing opportunities. 

° Capital-Raising Endeavors. To fund the continued growth of our

203

shared communications infrastructure, Crown Castle commenced an

78

38

20

offering in July of eleven million shares of common stock and $350

million of convertible preferred stock, generating oversubscribed gross

proceeds of $759 million.

P O I S E D   F O R   G R O W T H

Crown Castle is at the forefront of many consumer and industry trends

that have us poised for future growth. Consumer demands are requiring

a robust wireless network that offers high speeds and comprehensive

coverage with vast capabilities. High penetration rates, increased

demand and the need for carriers to add capacity and services are all

components of our business model; uniquely placing Crown Castle in

97

98

99

00

the right place at the right time with key high-demand services.

Community resistance against adding towers in certain areas, coupled

with historic preservation and environmental issues, are further prompt-

ing carriers to co-locate on existing towers.

Following the 3G spectrum auctions in Europe and Australasia,

Crown Castle is pursuing opportunities to support the rollout of new

networks that will bring high-speed Internet services to wireless users.

While in the United States, the 3G spectrum is yet to be defined. 

The re-auction of the PCS “C” band spectrum is helping to facilitate

new networks.

A S O U N D   S T R A T E G Y

This year we hosted our first Crown Castle Global Leaders Forum to

develop the key strategies and global initiatives that will guide us as 

we move forward. The meeting included key members of our global 

and regional management teams with the goals of fostering corporate

teamwork and corporate growth. From that forum, we developed 

the five Crown Castle Global Initiatives that will promote individual and

corporate excellence:

Globalization

Speed

Maximizing Shareholder Values

World-class Turn-key Services

Best Practices

10 CROWN CASTLE INTERNATIONAL 2000 AR

With a substantial tower portfolio

and superior IT systems for rapid

information integration, Crown

Castle offers rapid deployment

of complete carrier solutions. 

U N I T E D   K I N G D O M

Crown Castle enjoys a significant presence in the vigorous U.K. market,

achieving wireless communications coverage of more than 95%, 

near-universal broadcast coverage and a strategic footprint to compete

for emerging 3G business.

Wireless Telecommunications. The year 2000 largely focused on

executing the worlds first completely outsourced 200-tower turnkey 

network for One 2 One in Northern Ireland, and we successfully

launched the network on schedule in April 2001 while continuing to 

integrate other towers from One 2 One’s greenfield build program.

Our relationship with British Telecomm (BT) has expanded through a

milestone relationship that leverages our investment in 3G through the

lease of 4,000 telephone exchange sites that Crown Castle will rent to

customers for tower co-location. These 4,000 sites, when aggregated will

give Crown Castle an impressive footprint of 6,330 sites in the United

Kingdom, placing us in great stead to compete for 3G customers in 2001.

Broadcasting. The Company has a key broadcast advantage in the

United Kingdom. We hold a leadership position in DTT and in 1997

completed the roll-out of the first comprehensive national digital 

transmission network. Our role takes the signal from the studio to the

home, and digital technology opens up more channels offering a broader

selection to viewers. We believe that virtually every industrial country

will convert from analog to digital television over the next several 

years, and Crown Castle is at the forefront of design, development 

and implementation of this trend.

Third Generation Technology. The year 2000 saw us involved in

pre-auction activities focused on assembling our 3G team and developing

our processes and strategy, while post-auction activities centered around

product preparation. Five 3G licenses were awarded, which have created

enormous demand for new sites. 

The BT agreement has increased and augmented Crown Castle’s

existing portfolio and uniquely prepared us to meet that demand. We

are now in a position to capitalize on our expanded footprint for rolling

out networks in 2001 and beyond. Importantly, all five of the 3G license

holders are Crown Castle customers and two have made large-scale

3G volume commitments to us.

CROWN CASTLE INTERNATIONAL 2000 AR   11

A U S T R A L I A

additional towers over a six-year period. The Vodafone transaction

Crown Castle’s entry into Australia in March 2000, through an agreement

includes the maintenance and property management for all non-acquired

to purchase 716 wireless communications towers from Cable & Wireless

Vodafone sites. This transaction significantly increases Crown Castle’s

Optus (Optus), is a global validation of our strategic outsourcing model.

position as the largest independent tower operator — a significant mile-

This transaction:

stone achieved in less than one year of operation in the Australia market. 

° gives Crown Castle wireless communications coverage of more than

There were principally three owners of towers in Australia, and

92% of the Australian population,

Crown Castle has now acquired the towers of two of these carriers, 

° ranks us as the largest independent tower operator in Australia, and

representing about one-half of the total towers in Australia. 

° provides our Company with a clustered footprint in each of Australia’s

Reflecting Crown Castle’s excellence in penetrating a new market,

licensed regions, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and

building technology systems, developing new processes and integrating

Adelaide. 

towers effectively and efficiently, we achieved and exceeded our P&L

In addition to our transaction with Optus, Crown Castle concluded

and tower acquisition targets for the year. 

an agreement with Vodafone in April 2001 to acquire 669 wireless 

communications towers and the option to acquire as many as 600 

12 CROWN CASTLE INTERNATIONAL 2000 AR

These global initiatives embody the spirit of Crown Castle’s philosophies,

L O O K I N G   F O R W A R D

goals and culture, and we encourage our global team to be conscious of

Our business model is now more compelling than ever. We have always

these initiatives and incorporate their intent into strategic thinking. Unlike

believed it is more efficient for wireless carriers to outsource their infra-

many companies that change their objectives from year to year, Crown

structure to companies such as Crown Castle that can operate and lease

Castle remains committed to key objectives that position us to offer

the assets to other parties. As we move into 2001, our management

unmatched broadcast, telecom and third generation services around 

team is very optimistic that there are more opportunities than ever to

the globe:

execute Crown Castle’s business plan, take advantage of carriers’

° to maximize tower capacity utilization through significantly expanded,

capital issues and demonstrate the tremendous benefits associated 

customer-focused sales and marketing programs; 

with infrastructure outsourcing.

° to acquire additional tower portfolios globally, working in partnership

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I offer our most sincere appre-

with wireless communications carriers to assume ownership of their

ciation to Crown Castle’s dedicated employees, loyal customers and

existing towers;

supportive shareholders. I look forward to reporting future developments

° to leverage transmission experience in order to acquire existing

and exciting achievements in coming periods. 

national broadcast transmission networks; and 

° to maintain technology leadership with expertise in the design and

Respectfully,

deployment of existing and emerging technologies.

Ted B. Miller, Jr.

Chairman of the Board

K E Y S T A T I S T I C S   A S   O F   1 2 / 3 1 / 0 0

Number of Towers Effectively Owned*

Number of Employees

Revenues

EBITDA

Number of Towers Integrated During Year 

Number of Team Bases / Regional Offices

Market Capitalization

* Owned, operated and managed 

12,918

2,100

$649.2 Million

$247.1 Million

5,430

45

$6.5 Billion

CROWN CASTLE INTERNATIONAL 2000 AR   13

C O N D E N S E D   C O N S O L I D A T E D   S T A T E M E N T   O F   O P E R A T I O N S *

(In thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)

Net revenues:

Site rental and broadcast transmission

Network services and other

Total net revenues

Costs of operations:

Site rental and broadcast transmission

Network services and other

Total costs of operations

General and administrative

Corporate development

Restructuring charges

Non-cash general and administrative compensation charges

Depreciation and amortization

Operating income (loss)

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliate

Interest and other income (expense)

Years Ended December 31,

1998

1999

2000

$

75,028

$ 267,894

$ 446,039

38,050

77,865

203,126

113,078

345,759

649,165

26,254

21,564

47,818

23,571

4,625 

—

12,758

37,239

(12,933)

2,055 

4,220

114,436

42,312

194,424

120,176

156,748

314,600

43,823

5,403

5,645

2,173

76,944

10,489

—

3,127

130,106

238,796

1,861

—

17,731

5,209

—

33,761

Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs

(29,089)

(110,908)

(241,294)

Loss before income taxes, minority interests, extraordinary item and cumulative effect

of change in accounting principle

Provision for income taxes

Minority interests

(35,747)

(91,316)

(202,324)

(374)

(1,654)

(275)

(2,756)

(246)

(721)

Loss before extraordinary item and cumulative effect of change in accounting principle

(37,775)

(94,347)

(203,291)

Extraordinary item – loss on early extinguishment of debt

Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle for costs of start-up activities

Net loss

Dividends on preferred stock

—

—

(37,775)

(5,411)

—

(1,495)

(2,414)

(96,761)

(28,881)

—

(204,786)

(59,469)

Net loss after deduction of dividends on preferred stock

$

(43,186)

$ (125,642)

$ (264,255)

Per common share – basic and diluted:

Loss before extraordinary item and cumulative effect of change in accounting principle

$

(1.02)

$

(0.94)

$

Extraordinary item

Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle

—

—

—

(0.02)

(1.47)

(0.01)

—

Net loss

$

(1.02)

$

(0.96)

$

(1.48)

Common shares outstanding – basic and diluted (in thousands)

42,518

131,466

178,588

*The results of operations for the years ended December 31, 1998, 1999 and 2000 are not comparable as a result of business and asset acquisitions. Results of operations of these acquired businesses and assets are included
in our consolidated financial statements for the periods after the respective dates of acquisition. This information should be read in conjunction with "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations" and the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

**EBITDA is defined as operating income (loss) plus depreciation and amortization, non-cash general and administrative compensation charges and restructuring charges. EBITDA is presented as additional information

because management believes it to be a useful indicator of our ability to meet debt service and capital expenditure requirements. It is not, however, intended as an alternative measure of operating results or cash flow from
operations (as determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles). Furthermore, our measure of EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

14 CROWN CASTLE INTERNATIONAL 2000 AR

C O N D E N S E D   C O N S O L I D A T E D   B A L A N C E   S H E E T

(In thousands of dollars)

Assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

Short-term investments

Other current assets

Property and equipment, net

Escrow deposit for acquisition

Investments

Goodwill and other intangible assets, net

Other assets

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity:

Current liabilities

Long-term debt

Other liabilities

Minority interests

Redeemable preferred stock

Stockholders’ equity

O T H E R   C O N S O L I D A T E D   D A T A

(In thousands of dollars)

EBITDA**

Summary cash flow information:

Net cash provided by operating activities

Net cash used for investing activities

Net cash provided by financing activities

December 31,

1998

1999

2000

$ 296,450

$ 549,328

$ 453,833

—

45,666

592,594

—

—

569,740

18,780

—

112,717

38,000

280,301

2,468,101

4,303,037

50,000

—

—

137,000

596,147

1,112,876

60,357

114,794

$ 1,523,230

$ 3,836,650

$ 6,439,841

$

92,887

$ 131,281

$ 324,876

429,710

1,542,343

2,602,687

22,823

39,185

201,063

737,562

67,064 

55,292

422,923

93,354

155,344

842,718

1,617,747

2,420,862

$ 1,523,230

$ 3,836,650

$ 6,439,841

Years Ended December 31,

1998

1999

2000

$

37,064

$ 139,785

$ 247,132

44,976

92,608

165,495

(149,248)

(1,509,146)

(1,957,687)

345,248

1,670,402 

1,707,091 

CROWN CASTLE INTERNATIONAL 2000 AR 15

O F F I C E R S   A N D   D I R E C T O R S

Board of Directors

Ted B. Miller, Jr.

Office of the Chairman

Ted B. Miller, Jr.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

John P. Kelly

President and Chief Operating Officer

Charles C. Green III

Executive Vice President-Global Finance  

E. Blake Hawk

Executive Vice President and General Counsel

Alan Rees

Executive Vice President-Technology

George E. Reese

Executive Vice President-International

Senior Officers

Peter G. Abery

Managing Director

Crown Castle Australia Limited 

Kelli H. Cole

Senior Vice President of Human Resources 

Wesley D. Cunningham

Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Corporate

Controller

Robert E. Giles

President and Chief Operating Officer

Crown Castle UK Limited

W. Benjamin Moreland

Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Randall Rainey

Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives

Steven Schmitt

Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer

Michael Schueppert

Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development 

Edward W. Wallander

President and Chief Operating Officer

Crown Castle USA Inc.

David L. Ivy

Individual Investor

Carl Ferenbach

Managing Director

Berkshire Partners LLC

Randall A. Hack

Senior Managing Member

Nassau Capital LLC

Edward C. Hutcheson, Jr.

Individual Investor and Consultant

John P. Kelly

President and Chief Operating Officer

J. Landis Martin

President and Chief Executive Officer

NL Industries, Inc. and

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Titanium Metals Corporation

Robert F. McKenzie

Chief Operating Officer

OneComm, Inc., Retired

William D. Strittmatter

Vice President

GE Capital Corporation and

Managing Director-Telecommunications

for the Structured Finance Group of 

GE Capital Corporation

Lee W. Hogan

President and Chief Executive Officer

SFM Limited

16 CROWN CASTLE INTERNATIONAL 2000 AR

C O R P O R A T E   I N F O R M A T I O N

The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the

Corporate Headquarters

510 Bering, Suite 500

Houston, Texas 77057

713.570.3000

Agents and Trustees

Mellon Investor Services LLC

600 North Pearl Street

Suite 1010

Dallas, Texas 75201

214.922.4420

Securities and Exchange Commission is available, without charge, on

written request.  In addition, a copy of any exhibit to the Form 10-K is

available upon payment of a specified fee, which fee shall be limited to

the Company’s expenses in furnishing such exhibit(s). All requests

should be directed to:

Crown Castle International Corp.

Corporate Secretary

510 Bering, Suite 500

Houston, Texas 77057

Annual Meeting

Transfer Agent for Common Stock, 

Stockholders are invited to attend the 2001 Crown Castle International

12 3/4% Senior Exchangeable Preferred Stock, 

Corp. Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which will be held Wednesday,

6.25% Convertible Preferred Stock

June 5, 2001, at 9:00 a.m. at the Houstonian Hotel, 111 North Post Oak

Lane, Houston, Texas 77024.

Formal notice of the meeting, along with the proxy statement and 

materials, will be mailed or otherwise available on or about May 9,

2001, to stockholders of record as of May 2, 2001.

Web Site

www.crowncastle.com

Common Stock Information

Crown Castle International Corp.’s common stock is traded on NYSE

(stock symbol: CCI). 

Statements made by Crown Castle International Corp. in this annual

report that are not historical facts, including those regarding future per-

formance, are forward-looking statements under the Private Securities

Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current

expectations and assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties that

could cause actual results to differ from expectations.

United States Trust Company of New York

114 West 47th Street, 25th Floor

New York, New York 10036

212.852.1649

Trustee for the Company’s Debt Securities

The Law Debenture Trust Corporation p.l.c.

Princes House, 95 Gresham Street

London EC2V 7LY

44.(0)20.7696.5206

Trustee for Crown Castle Finance PLC

(f/k/a Castle Transmission (Finance) PLC)

£125 million 9% Guaranteed Bonds due 2007

Independent Auditors

KPMG LLP

700 Louisiana

Houston, Texas 77002

713.319.2000

General Investor Inquiries 

and Correspondence

Investors with general questions about the company are invited to call

Carmen Thompson at 713.570.3000.

Investor correspondence should be directed to:

Carmen Thompson

Vice President of Finance

Crown Castle International Corp.

510 Bering, Suite 500

Houston, Texas 77057

shaping the wireless world SM

N E W   L O G O   H E R E

w w w . c r o w n c a s t l e . c o m