Verizon Communications, the biggest wireless carrier in the United States, said Monday it was buying selected assets of Bluegrass Cellular, a Kentucky wireless service company.
Launched in 1991, Bluegrass Cellular provides wireless service to 210,000 clients in 34 municipalities in rural service areas in central Kentucky. It is the first wireless provider in the state's central area, a media release disclosed.
According to Verizon Consumer Group executive vice president and Group chief executive Ronan Dunne, they look forward to "welcoming Bluegrass Cellular customers and staff into the Verizon family and providing them with reliable wireless service," the company quoted Dunne as saying in its website.
The move comes just a month after Verizon made public its proposal to acquire mobile group Tracfone in a deal valued at almost $7 billion, and less than a week after Verizon unveiled its countrywide 5G network alongside the launch of the iPhone 12.
The New York-based telecommunications conglomerate did not give details of the terms of the deal, which is still subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission and other conditions. The deal is expected to be finalized before the year ends or early next year, Verizon said.
Kentucky has struggled lately to keep a reliable wireless service in most parts of its rural areas. The three-decade old Bluegrass Cellular has long been the main provider in Kentucky's hard-to-reach areas.
AT&T, Verizon's main competitor, announced in January that it built almost 200 cellular sites to boost its fourth-generation LTE network in the state, including nearly 90 macro cell sites and 110 small ones.
Meanwhile, Verizon on Monday announced it had reached an agreement with Nokia and Microsoft to boost the company's capability in targeting clients by offering them the ability to cut production costs and fast-track data traffic through private 5G infrastructures, Reuters reported.
