T-Mobile will acquire US Cellular’s cellular operations and roughly 30% of its spectrum assets across multiple frequency bands as part of the arrangement. T-Mobile will also extend the lease period for the roughly 600 buildings where it now occupies a tenantship and enter into a new master license deal on more than 2,000 towers.
The acquisition includes about 30% of U.S. Cellular’s spectrum assets, the firm said in a release.
T-Mobile will lease space on at least 2,100 new towers, while U.S. Cellular will retain ownership of its towers.
T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert stated in a statement, “As customers from both companies will get more coverage and more capacity from our combined footprint, our competitors will be forced to keep up-and even more consumers will benefit.”
US Cellular Chair LeRoy Carlson Jr. said in a statement, “We are confident that continuing to deliver on our mission requires a level of scale and investment that is best achieved by integrating our wireless operations with those of T-Mobile. This is in light of rising competition and the increasing capital intensity required to keep pace with the latest technologies.”
The boards of Telephone and Data Systems Inc., a majority shareholder in US Cellular, and United States Cellular Corp. have unanimously authorized the deal. The anticipated closure date is mid-2025.
Nonetheless, a few internet customers have expressed worries about their payment possibly going up.
One Reddit user said, “They stated ‘keep’ (the same plan) but not ‘at the same price.'”
Another user, on the other hand, claimed that since T-Mobile bought their former carrier, Sprint, they are still paying the same amount and have not noticed any changes.