Verizon acquires rural Kentucky wireless company Bluegrass Cellular

Verizon announced Monday that it is buying “some assets” of Bluegrass Cellular, a wireless service provider in rural Kentucky. One step News release, Bluegrass Cellular was the first wireless provider in central Kentucky, launched in 1991. It serves 210,000 customers in 34 Kentucky counties.

The terms of the deal have not been released and it is still subject to FCC approval, but according to Verizon, it is expected to close later this year or early 2021. Companies have had a work relationship for many years; In 2012 Bluegrass launches LTE service In part Kentucky Verizon’s LTE in Rural America project. As part of that plan, Verizon leased some of its spectrum to the countryside.

In July, Verizon announced that it would Launches new home internet In some rural communities its 4G LTE wireless network is not served by its Fios or 5G home options. Communities in Savannah, Georgia; Springfield, Missouri; And part of three cities, Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky.

Bluegrass is Verizon’s second acquisition; The company announced it in September Purchase of Trackphone under contract worth over $ 6 billion. Trackfone is the largest reseller of wireless services in the United States, with 21 million subscribers; Prior to the deal, more than 13 million trackphone customers already relied on Verizon’s wireless network because the trackphone did not have its own physical network in the United States.

The deal also includes Verizon’s rivals T-Mobile and AT&T as America’s largest carrier; The company had revenue of $ 131.9 billion at the end of 2019.

Bluegross customers do not need to take any action; According to the news release, they will receive information about the services from Verizon.