April 17 (Reuters) - Wireless tower operator Crown

Castle ( CCI ) beat Wall Street estimates for first-quarter site

rental revenue on Wednesday, helped by steady demand for its

wireless infrastructure services.

The real estate investment trust, posted quarterly site

rental revenue of $1.59 billion, above analysts' average

estimate of $1.57 billion.

Rapid roll-out of 5G services by wireless carriers such as

AT&T ( T ), T-Mobile US ( TMUS ) and Verizon Communications ( VZ )

is driving demand for communication infrastructure

required to support the fast data.

The wireless tower operator's quarterly revenue stood at

$1.64 billion compared with analysts estimates of $1.63 billion.

Its adjusted funds from operations for the quarter ended March

31 came in at $1.72 per share, compared with $1.91 per share a

year earlier.

Last week, Steven Moskowitz took charge as Crown's CEO,

taking over from interim chief Anthony Melone.

In February, co-founder Ted Miller said that the company

could fetch as much as $15 billion by selling its fiber assets

to upgrade its tower assets, if it let him and his partners join

its board of directors.

The company which competes with American Tower ( AMT ) and

SBA Communications ( SBAC ) reaffirmed its 2024 forecast.