July 23 (Reuters) - Wireless tower operator Crown Castle ( CCI )

raised its annual site rental revenue forecast on

Wednesday, hinting at healthy leasing activity by wireless

carriers as service providers continue to augment capacity.

The results follow intensifying competition among service

providers, highlighting how companies are actively pursuing new

avenues for growth by expanding capacity amid the 5G boom.

The real estate investment trust now expects full-year site

rental revenue of around $4.00 billion and $4.04 billion,

compared with its prior expectations of around $3.99 billion to

$4.03 billion.

Crown Castle ( CCI ) owns about 40,000 towers and derives the

majority of its revenue from leasing out tower infrastructure to

wireless carriers such as AT&T ( T ), T-Mobile and

Verizon in the United States on a long-term basis.

For the year, the company now expects adjusted funds from

operations between $4.14 and $4.25 per share, compared with the

analysts' average estimate of $4.18 apiece, according to data

compiled by LSEG.

The company posted second-quarter site rental revenue of

$1.01 billion, compared with estimates of $1.04 billion.

For the second quarter, Crown Castle ( CCI ) reported earnings of 67

cents per share.