Sprint buys spectrum from US Celluar

[HeyCori]

Should be a big help for a handful of people.

Sprint pays US Cellular $480 million for Midwest spectrum and customers -- Engadget

Sprint has cemented a deal with US Cellular to pick up its PCS spectrum and around 585,000 customers across the Midwest. The deal will land the newly-owned company 30MHz within the 1900 MHz band across Illinois, Indian, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio, with the carrier stating that it'll be putting the extra spectrum to use augmenting its coverage while it continues to roll out 4G.

US Cellular will apparently continue business elsewhere, once the deal passes regulatory approval some time year, stating that it aims to "increase focus on markets where it has strong positions" and "streamline operations" -- probably involving its own 4G expansion plans.

 

[drnikki]

I just heard about this--been away from the forums for a while. Think I might switch carriers when the sale is final. Any suggestions? (especially from St. Louis people?)

 

[HeyCori]

I just heard about this--been away from the forums for a while. Think I might switch carriers when the sale is final. Any suggestions? (especially from St. Louis people?)

I think most people suggest picking your carrier first, phone second. After all, what good is a $500 phone if you're stuck on Edge? However, I think that line of thinking depends on where you live. For example, the four major carriers (Sprint, Verizon, T-Mo, AT&T) all offer some form of 3G, 4G, or LTE in my area. I always think of it like this,

1. Check coverage maps. See what data speeds you get both at home and around town.

2. Determine how much you're willing to pay monthly, then decide which carrier has the best features for that price range.

3. Choose phone.

4. If neither 1. or 2. is an issue than skip straight to 3. :grin: