Here Are The Buyout Changes Wisconsin U.S. Cellular Users Need To Know

A massive buyout will impact U.S. Cellular customers.

According to a release from the company, T-Mobile is buying U.S. Cellular in a $4.4 billion deal. It will include most of U.S. Cellular's assets, like their stores, wireless operations, and more. So what does the sale mean if you have U.S. Cellular?

More & Faster Rural Coverage

T-Mobile plans to use the deal to increase coverage in rural areas and for U.S. Cellular customers, it could mean expanded coverage in new places (like unlimited texting in over 215 countries, according to the release).

Under the deal, U.S. Cellular customers will get "access to faster and more reliable 5G service they would not otherwise have". It's also intended to expand options for "those that have been limited to one or no options for home broadband connectivity". It will also increase competition in places that only (or at least mostly) have just Verizon or AT&T.

If you have U.S. Cellular now, you will have the option to stay on your current plan or move to an unlimited T-Mobile plan of your choosing, with no switching costs. Some plans will be available to you under T-Mobile that weren't an option before.

This shift won't all happen right away. The sale is expected to close in mid-2025. This isn't the first carrier T-Mobile has integrated with. T-Mobile also bought Sprint in 2020 and MetroPCS in 2013. They also acquired the parent company of Mint Mobile.

As for the particulars of the sale, according to CNBC, T-Mobile is renting space on U.S. Cellular towers for a while, giving U.S. Cellular a "strong anchor tenant" for at least 15 years after the sale goes through.