Two new patents for Towerlend hi-tech antennas

The beginning was almost a gamble: to make the bases and antennas for mobile and fixed telephony 'almost invisible'. Within a few years, the objectives were achieved and the star up became an SME. The story is that of Towerlend, a company founded in the province of Siena in 2018 with one goal: to build customised antennas and niche structures for telephony giants. All 'through a process of innovation, since it is much more difficult to speak of invention'. Alvaro Gjeci, 30 years old from Montepulciano, is the founder and administrator of the company, which in the last year has had a turnover of around €700,000. "We are closing the fifth patent,' he says, 'and in January we expect to work on and complete the sixth. On the horizon is the dream of 'convincing the telephone giants that with more accurate and green investments, the world can be changed, starting with aesthetics'.

The business is working for now, and in addition to the growing turnover (+17% compared to the previous year), it can count on the support of a dozen collaborators and employees and about three hundred 'designed-designed-installed' structures in all Italian regions. "Our task is to design and build structures that can accommodate customers' requests, that can last over time, and that are able to meet stringent technical requirements," he adds. Compared to a standard structure, ours use 15 per cent less metal carpentry. Furthermore, thanks to a collaboration with a specialised company, we use recycled materials or materials intended for reuse.

Now the company wants to enter the smart cities growth process with a new and innovative antenna, the T-Light, 'which is in fact the forerunner of a new model at European level'. "It is designed for cities, an elegant pole that might remind one of lampposts,' he adds. 'But in reality, it has all the tech that cities demand on its top and in its soul: cameras to monitor passages, top-level connection networks, systems to detect climate changes, home automation that guarantees the operation of a lighting system with solar panels, all with circuits capable of maintaining electrical continuity and avoiding inefficiencies in the event of overloads. The company will present this innovation in spring 2025.

Then there is another aspect, and it is related to the environment. "We try to use less and less impactful materials,' he concludes. Just one example: in the hills of Siena we have installed a structure that, with the paint that covers it, absorbs all the CO2 emitted by cars. This structure, which occupies an area of 8 by 8 metres, has the same absorption capacity as 4 trees in its full life cycle'.