You’ve likely heard of Verizon before, as it’s a company millions of people use for cell phone service, but do you know all of the other companies Verizon owns?
Have you been wondering: does Verizon own US Cellular? If so, keep reading, because I’ll tell you everything I’ve discovered about Verizon and US Cellular below!
Does Verizon Own US Cellular In [currentyear]?
Verizon does not own US Cellular, since it’s a subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems Incorporated in [currentyear]. Telephone and Data Systems Inc. owns about an 84% stake in US Cellular. Additionally, US Cellular has roaming agreements with other cell phone providers, such as AT&T, which allows customers to roam without additional costs.
Do you want to know more about US Cellular, such as if Verizon is going to purchase the company in the future? Well, read on to find out all of the interesting details!
Is US Cellular as Big as Verizon?
US Cellular is not as big as Verizon, but it is the fifth-biggest mobile carrier that also operates its own network.
For example, US Cellular has around 5 million customers, and is available within 23 states, whereas Verizon has about 120 million customers, and is available all over the United States.
Is US Cellular Coverage the Same as Verizon?
US Cellular coverage is similar to Verizon coverage if you compare the two coverage maps, but US Cellular only has 10.27% coverage using its own network.
Additionally, both US Cellular and Verizon are the top for highest quality coverage available in the North Central section of the United States.
Is US Cellular Better Than Verizon?
US Cellular is not better than Verizon, but it has roaming agreements with Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile to provide customers with service while they are roaming outside of the network.
Furthermore, US Cellular is not much cheaper than Verizon, since the Unlimited plans start at $65, and Verizon’s Unlimited plans start at $80.
However, US Cellular does give customers a $10 credit on their bill if they do not go over 3GB of data, which is something Verizon doesn’t offer customers.
How Is US Cellular Similar to Verizon?
US Cellular and Verizon both offer prepaid cell phone plans and postpaid cell phone plans, and both have excellent coverage in the North Central section of the United States.
Also, US Cellular and Verizon sell cell phones and accessories, and both will run credit checks if you opt for a postpaid plan.
Furthermore, you’ll have to pay an activation fee for both US Cellular and Verizon, and both companies offer you the option to bring your own phone.
In addition, if you have either Verizon or US Cellular, most phones will have the compatibility to switch networks from one to the other without issue, as long as the phone is unlocked.
How Are US Cellular and Verizon Different?
The main differences between US Cellular and Verizon are the price of the plans offered, the number of plans offered, and the benefits you get with each plan.
For example, with Verizon Unlimited plans you will get either a free 6-month trial of the Disney+ Bundle, or get it free for as long as you have Verizon service.
In contrast, US Cellular does not offer these perks, so you’re not going to have free Disney+ or other subscriptions that Verizon offers on select plans, such as Hulu or Apple Music.
Is It a Good Idea for Verizon to Buy US Cellular?
It would be a good idea for Verizon to buy US Cellular, since the company already has an agreement with Verizon to provide coverage to customers while roaming outside of the network.
Additionally, Verizon offers more plans and more price points for customers, with some of those plans coming with benefits like free Hulu, Disney+, Apple Music, and other cool perks!
US Cellular customers could feel like they are getting more bang for their buck if Verizon purchased the company and offered these benefits to postpaid customers.
Also, since US Cellular is well within the top 10 mobile networks in the United States, it would benefit Verizon to acquire US Cellular and add even more revenue and customers to its network.
However, as with most business deals, the main drawback would be the US Cellular employees, as if Verizon purchased US Cellular, those employees could be out of a job.
The best option would be for Verizon to keep US Cellular as a subsidiary so that the employees working for the company could keep their jobs and continue their careers as normal.
Has Verizon Tried to Buy US Cellular?
While Verizon has not tried to buy US Cellular as a whole, it did purchase some assets from US Cellular back in 2013.
Specifically, Verizon purchased assets in Missouri from US Cellular, which included customers, CDMA operations, and the Cellular A-Block license.
This purchase allowed Verizon to acquire some of the most populated centers, such as Farmington, Potosi, Ste, Genevieve, and covered more than 1,700 square miles.
Unfortunately, Verizon has not made any moves to acquire US Cellular as a company, and it’s not known if that will happen at any time in the future.
To know more, you can also read our posts on whether or not Verizon owns Tracfone, if Verizon owns T-Mobile, and if Verizon owns Xfinity.
Conclusion
Verizon does not own US Cellular, since it’s primarily owned by Telephone and Data Systems Incorporated.
However, Verizon and US Cellular have an agreement so that customers can get roaming coverage when outside of the small US Cellular network, which only spans 10.27% of America.
