Cell tower disguised as massive 147 ft tall tree aims to improve service in Golden Gate

A huge tree-like structure is towering above other trees and buildings in Collier County. Even though it isn’t a tree, it might be a solution to poor cell phone reception.

The cell phone tower disguised as a tree is near Green Boulevard and Collier Boulevard.

Neighbors told WINK News it’s hard not to love it with the improved service, no ugly metal tower, and it seamlessly blends with the environment.

The details make the disguise look as good as it does. It’s green and brown all over, with branches, needles, and bark.

“Like a Christmas tree. Charlie Brown Christmas tree. That’s what it looked like,” nearby neighbor Tonya said.

Standing at 147 feet tall, it’s not hard to miss if you’re looking up, but it seems like any other tree at eye level. To put the tower’s mammoth size into perspective, the Sanibel lighthouse is 98 feet tall, the Statue of Liberty is 151 feet tall, without the base, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa is 185 feet tall.

The cell tower aims to spruce up service in Golden Gate.

“I’m so excited,” Tonya said.

Tonya lives across from the town and said she has struggled with service for over a year.

“Sometimes I get a phone call at night and I really can’t hear the person bad reception. So somebody has to walk outside, you know, just to get a better reception,” Tonya said.

She is ecstatic about anything that could mean improved service.

“All the neighbors everybody I think they’ll be very happy that this came,” Tonya said.

The Collier County Board of Commissioners approved the tower in 2021. After waiting patiently since then, it’s becoming a reality in Golden Gate.

WINK News reached out to find out when neighbors are going to get service from the tower and what carriers it will cover, but they haven’t reached back to us yet.