Full Transparency
Our editorial transparency tool uses blockchain technology to permanently log all changes made to official releases after publication.
More of our content is being permanently logged via blockchain technology starting [10.23.2020].
SCHAUMBURG, IL — Verizon Wireless today announced it has sold its PrimeCo PCS property in Illinois. This represents the completion of the planned sale made public several months ago.
Verizon Wireless said earlier this year that it would sell the PrimeCo Illinois operations to comply with federal regulations prohibiting a company from owning overlapping wireless operations in a single market. This overlap, as the company said at the time, would occur when the former Ameritech Cellular™ property in Illinois joined Verizon Wireless with the close of the Bell Atlantic-GTE merger. Bell Atlantic and GTE, which has owned Ameritech Cellular™ since October 1999, completed their merger June 30, 2000.
Verizon Wireless will continue to operate the former Ameritech Cellular™ property in Illinois.
Today's sale has no effect upon Verizon Wireless in Illinois since PrimeCo has been operated separately from the ongoing Verizon Wireless business in this market. The sale also has no effect upon Verizon Wireless in Wisconsin, where the company has integrated that former PrimeCo property into its national operations providing service to Wisconsin.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless is the largest wireless communications provider in the U.S. with more than 25 million wireless voice and data customers and nearly 4 million paging customers. The new coast-to-coast wireless provider was formed by the combination of the U.S. wireless businesses of Bell Atlantic Corp. and GTE Corp -- now Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) -- and Vodafone (LSE:VOD; NYSE:VOD). The new company includes the assets of Bell Atlantic Mobile, AirTouch Cellular, GTE Wireless, PrimeCo Personal Communications and AirTouch Paging. The new company has a footprint covering nearly 90 percent of the U.S. population, 49 of the top 50 and 96 of the top 100 U.S. markets.
Verizon Wireless, headquartered in New York City and Bedminster, NJ, is 30,000 employees strong. Reporters and editors can find more information about the company in its Media Center on the Web at: http://www.verizonwireless.com/mediacenter.
About the Great Lakes Area
The Great Lakes Area of Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois. The Great Lakes Area includes the Greater Chicago market and Northern and Central Illinois; the Greater Indianapolis market and most of Indiana; the Greater St. Louis and Cape Girardeau markets of Missouri; the Greater Milwaukee, Green Bay and Madison markets and other areas of Wisconsin; Detroit, and Southeast and Central Michigan markets; and the Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland markets and much of Ohio. The Great Lakes Area serves more than 5.6 million customers and has a potential customer base of 41.2 million.
Ameritech Cellular™ is a trademark owned by Ameritech Corporation and used pursuant to a license from Ameritech Corporation.
####
