Earlier this month, regional carrier Cincinnati Bell announced that it had entered into an agreement with Verizon that’ll see the big red operator purchase Cincinnati Bell’s spectrum licenses and other assets for $210 million. That deal didn’t satiate Verizon’s appetite for spectrum, though, as it’s been revealed that Verizon has struck deals with two other small carriers.
Two separate FCC filings have shown that Verizon plans to snap up California carrier Golden State Cellular and Hawaiian operator Mobi PCS. Verizon spokesperson Robin Nicol confirmed to FierceWireless that Verizon will acquire spectra, network assets and customers in Amador, Alpine, Calaveras, Tuolumne and Mariposa counties. Verizon intends to transition existing Golden State Cellular customers to its own plans approximately 15 months after the deal reaches completion.
Meanwhile, Verizon will be snagging 20-30Mhz of PCS spectrum from Mobi PCS in Hawaii. The deal will see Verizon lease 10MHz of spectrum back to Mobi PCS so that it can continue to offers service. The lease will last for up to 12 months. Mobi PCS is currently looking into helping its customers find service arrangements with other operators.
These Verizon acquisitions are just the latest in a long line of spectrum deals that we’ve seen lately as major carriers work to grow their networks and meet the increasing consumer demand for data. It’s kind of a disappointment to see smaller carriers disappearing as a result of these transactions, but because wireless subscribers continue to consume mobile data, it’s unlikely that this will be the last time we see a large carrier strike a spectrum deal with a smaller operator.
As with previous spectrum sales, Verizon’s agreements with Golden State Cellular and Mobi PCS are subject to FCC approval.
Via FierceWireless, FCC (1), (2)
