The verdict in three sentences
A tower company running 900 sites across Ireland on spreadsheets cannot see expiring ground leases, unbilled tenant equipment or the sites that threaten its 99.95 % availability SLA. A custom site management platform links equipment inventory, colocation contracts, energy and maintenance in a single tool. In Dublin in 2026, the market range for this kind of build is 150,000 to 400,000 EUR, with go-live in 5 to 7 months.
Where a towerco leaks money on spreadsheets
On a 900-site portfolio, losses come from many small gaps rather than one big mistake. The figures below are 2026 estimates for a passive infrastructure operator in Ireland, where grid power is the norm and diesel only backs up remote sites.
| Leak | Typical symptom | Annual estimate (900 sites) |
|---|---|---|
| Energy recharges to tenants | Metered usage not passed through, flat fees outdated | 250,000 to 600,000 EUR |
| Ground leases | Late renewals, rent reviews not checked | 80,000 to 200,000 EUR |
| Operator SLA penalties | Unplanned outages, availability under 99.95 % | 100,000 to 300,000 EUR |
| Unbilled colocation | Tenant adds antennas without a contract amendment | 150,000 to 400,000 EUR |
| Maintenance truck rolls | Duplicate visits, no site history | 120,000 to 250,000 EUR |
| Batteries and rectifiers | Early replacements, no cycle tracking | 40,000 to 120,000 EUR |
Unbilled colocation is usually the biggest gap in mature European markets. One extra RRU or antenna on a tower can be worth 3,000 to 8,000 EUR a year in rent, and audits regularly find 5 to 10 % of sites carrying equipment that is not on contract.
Platform modules and budget split
The software has to mirror how a towerco earns money: one site, several tenants, each with its own equipment, wind load on the structure and energy consumption to recharge. Here is a typical breakdown, with an indicative share of a 150,000 to 400,000 EUR budget.
| Module | Scope | Indicative budget share |
|---|---|---|
| Site register | GPS, structure type, height, access, photos, planning documents | 10 to 12 % |
| Equipment inventory | Antennas, RRUs, generators, batteries, rectifiers, serial numbers | 12 to 15 % |
| Colocation contracts | Tenants, leased space, wind load, rates, amendments, CPI indexation | 15 to 18 % |
| Ground leases | Landlords, expiry dates, payments, 90-day alerts | 8 to 10 % |
| Energy | Smart meter readings, backup diesel, recharge per tenant | 15 to 20 % |
| Maintenance and tickets | Preventive, corrective, field app with offline mode | 15 to 18 % |
| SLA and dashboards | Availability per site and operator, penalties, monthly reports | 10 to 12 % |
Two requirements drive the price. The field app must work offline on rural and mountain sites, then sync. And integration with remote monitoring and the operators' NOC systems requires specific API work, usually the least predictable part of the estimate.
A realistic 5 to 7 month schedule
| Phase | Duration | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery and data migration | 3 to 4 weeks | Data model, cleaned spreadsheets |
| Register, inventory, contracts | 6 to 8 weeks | First usable release at head office |
| Energy and mobile maintenance | 6 to 8 weeks | Offline technician app |
| SLA, billing, dashboards | 4 to 5 weeks | Automated operator reports |
| 100-site pilot, then rollout | 3 to 4 weeks | Full cutover, team training |
A regional pilot (for example Munster) avoids switching 900 sites at once and lets you fix imported data before the national rollout.
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Aoife, COO of a tower company in Dublin (illustrative example), manages 900 sites with an average of 2.1 tenants per tower. A desk audit suggests 6 % of sites carry unbilled equipment, about 54 sites. At an average 5,000 EUR a year per missing amendment, that is roughly 270,000 EUR of lost annual revenue. Add a 2 % improvement in energy recharges on a 4,500,000 EUR annual power bill, around 90,000 EUR. For a 300,000 EUR platform, the estimated payback is under 12 months, before counting SLA penalties avoided.
FAQ
Why not buy an off-the-shelf towerco package?
Specialised international packages often cost 60,000 to 150,000 EUR a year in licences and still need configuration for Irish lease structures. A custom platform at 150,000 to 400,000 EUR is an asset you own, with no per-site licence.
How long does migrating 900 sites take?
Plan 3 to 4 weeks of cleaning and import. A 5 to 10 % error rate in legacy inventories is common at the start.
Can the software calculate 99.95 % availability?
Yes, from NOC alarms and maintenance tickets, per site and per tenant operator. 99.95 % allows about 4 h 23 min of downtime per site per year.
Does GDPR affect a towerco platform?
Mainly for landlord and technician data. Expect 3 to 5 % of the budget for access controls, audit logs and EU hosting.
What does support cost after go-live?
In Dublin, support and hosting contracts usually run at 15 to 20 % of the build cost per year, so 25,000 to 70,000 EUR for this scope.
Let's scope your project. Send us your site count, current spreadsheets and priorities (colocation, energy, SLA) and we will scope a platform with a 5 to 7 month plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
