Verizon Wireless intends to acquire some AWS-1 B Block licenses from U.S. Cellular.
As Phone Scoop originally pointed out, Verizon has filed with the FCC to take control of 20 MHz of AWS covering 53 counties in parts of Illinois and Missouri assigned from U.S. Cellular to Verizon. Verizon indicated it intends to put the spectrum—which covers St. Louis—to use in its LTE deployment.
The licenses cover 14 Cellular Market Areas (CMA) and if this transaction is approved, Verizon said it will hold 62-117 MHz across those CMAs—40 MHz of that would be AWS-1.
Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
This isn’t the first time this year that U.S. Cellular has been willing to part ways with some of its AWS spectrum. In June, the carrier sold the majority of its Mississippi Valley 10MHz AWS spectrum license to T-Mobile USA for $308 million.
In 2011, Verizon swapped some of its 700 MHz licenses for some of U.S. Cellular’s 1900 PCS licenses.
Filed Under: Carriers
