One key to success in the cell phone carrier business: network coverage. One big obstacle to network coverage:

Nobody wants a cell phone tower in their backyard.

But the folks who design these towers are getting more and more creative camouflaging their equipment so it blends into the surroundings.

A nifty little slideshow over at NetworkWorld shows some of the best — and worst — efforts in disguising cell towers so they don’t offend the neighbors. My personal favorite: The faux palm tree.

And palms aren’t the only cell phone towers used to fake out viewers. Fir trees are also well represented.

Monuments are another nifty place to stash transmitting equipment.

Sometimes, carriers will figure a structure is so ugly — in the case of water towers and smokestacks — that lacing the exterior with cell equipment couldn’t hurt. It doesn’t.

For anyone who lives in an area with lousy cell reception, it’s likely there has been some public outcry about erecting towers that spoil the landscape or the view.

But next time you’re trying to make a wireless call and you can’t get any “bars,” you may want to remember that there’s no free lunch. And no cell phone reception without towers.

Tags: camouflaging, cell phone, NetworkWorld, towers