Crown Castle Announces Mandatory Conversion of 4.5

HOUSTON, Oct. 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Crown Castle International Corp. (NYSE: CCI ) (“Crown Castle”) today announced that all the outstanding shares of its 4.50% Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock (“Preferred Stock”) will mandatorily convert on November 1, 2016 (“Mandatory Conversion Date”).

On the Mandatory Conversion Date, holders of Preferred Stock will be entitled to receive 1.1880 shares of Crown Castle Common Stock, par value $.01 per share (“Common Stock”), for each share of Preferred Stock converted.  Cash will be paid in lieu of fractional shares of Common Stock. Dividends on the Preferred Stock will cease to accrue on the Mandatory Conversion Date.  As of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on October 27, 2016, Crown Castle had approximately 9,284,080 shares of Preferred Stock outstanding and approximately 338.1 million shares of Common Stock outstanding. After giving effect to the conversion of all of the Preferred Stock, Crown Castle expects to have approximately 349.2 million shares of Common Stock outstanding.

Crown Castle previously announced that the next scheduled dividend payment date with respect to the Preferred Stock is the Mandatory Conversion Date, payable to record holders of the Preferred Stock as of October 15, 2016. 

From and after the Mandatory Conversion Date, the Preferred Stock not previously converted will cease to be outstanding and all rights of the holders with respect to such Preferred Stock will terminate, except for the right to receive the number of whole shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Preferred Stock and cash in lieu of any fractional shares of Common Stock, as described above. 

CAUTIONARY LANGUAGE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains forward-looking statements that are based on Crown Castle management's current expectations.  Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including prevailing market conditions and other factors.  Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those expected.  More information about potential risk factors that could affect Crown Castle and its results is included in Crown Castle's filings with the SEC.  The term "including," and any variation thereof, means "including, without limitation."

ABOUT CROWN CASTLE Crown Castle provides wireless carriers with the infrastructure they need to keep people connected and businesses running.  With approximately 40,000 towers and 17,000 miles of fiber supporting small cells, Crown Castle is the nation's largest provider of shared wireless infrastructure with a significant presence in the top 100 US markets.

Dan Schlanger, CFO Son Nguyen, VP & Treasurer Crown Castle International Corp. 713-570-3050