STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A long-standing Oakwood cell tower sparked a recent reader inquiry to the Advance/SILive.com.
Reader Patricia Piccochi reached out to the newsroom on social media Dec. 18 asking about the “huge tower recently built” in the shopping plaza at the intersection of Guyon and North Railroad Avenues.
Per city property records, a cell tower has been at the location since at least June 2017 and in its current iteration since at least October 2024.
Screenshot captured Friday, Dec. 26, 2025 shows a city-captured map image of the tower dated June 20, 2017.(Courtesy: New York City Department of Finance)
Commercial property owners around the city often rent out parts of their land to companies that build cell towers, which aim to improve service in a given area. The cell-tower construction companies then often lease the towers to service providers.
The lease for the current cell tower dates to 2022, will last for up to 25 years, and is between a New York-based wireless infrastructure company and DISH network.
Photos of the tower taken Wednesday appear to show a 5G cell tower at the site, used for some of the most modern cellular technology. Previous images of the site appear to show older versions of cell towers.
The term “5G” is shorthand for “fifth generation” wireless networks referring to a faster alternative to previous mobile networks that have been in the country since at least the 2010s. 5G networks also promise reduced signal lag, which can improve performance for some cellular services.