If you’re the second-largest wireless carrier in the US, locked in a heated battle with top-dog AT&T for subscribers, what can you do to increase your customer-base? Well, one way would be to buy them, literally. Verizon Wireless has announced their plans to buy the Unicel brand from Rural Cellular, netting the CDMA carrier about 716,000 users – with Verizon Wireless’s 62.1 million customers trailing AT&T’s 63.7 million, the addition of three-quarters of a million subscribers will be a healthy boost indeed.
Rural Cellular uses GSM and CDMA standards in their mixed-network, and Verizon Wireless plans to convert GSM users to CDMA service while holding onto the GSM network for roaming purposes (for subscribers on other GSM networks). Verizon Wireless will be paying $757 million, or $45 per share, for Rural Cellular.
Watch out AT&T, it looks like Verizon is planning on making a run at the top-dog title in the US. You aren’t planning on taking that iPhone exclusivity contract all the way to the bank are you?
[Via: Yahoo News]