UScellular agreed a deal to sell spectrum to Verizon for $1 billion in cash and entered into agreements with two other mobile operators for additional licences sales.

Verizon is buying 663 million MHz POPs of UScellular’s 850MHz spectrum licences, along with 11 million MHz POPs of its AWS and 19 million MHz POPs of its PCS licences.

Most of UScellular’s customers are in rural areas. Prior to its agreement to sell some of its wireless assets and spectrum to T-Mobile US for $4.4 billion, it had 4.5 million wireless subscribers across 21 US states.

AST SpaceMobile is using Verizon’s 850MHz low-band spectrum to connect customers across the continental US with satellite services.

“Verizon picked the puzzle pieces that fit best into its network,” Roger Entner, founder and analyst at Recon Analytics, told Mobile World Live. “$1 billion is a reasonable amount for what Verizon is purchasing. There are not that many network operators with the wherewithal and a need for spectrum where UScellular is operating.”

UScellular also struck deals with two additional mobile network operators for the sale of 12 million MHz POPs of spectrum across the CBRS, C-Band, and 700 MHz B/C Block bands. Buyers and terms of those deals are not available.

The deals need to garner the usual regulatory approvals and are also contingent on UScellular closing its agreement with T-Mobile, which they previously stated could occur by mid-2025.

Once those transactions are finalised, UScellular’s remainging spectrum will include 3.4 billion MHz POPs of low and mid-band spectrum (700 MHz, 3.45GHz, CBRS and C-Band) as well as 17.2 billion MHz POPs of mmWave spectrum.

UScellular president and CEO Laurent Therivel stated the company will continue “the process to opportunistically monetise the remaining spectrum assets not included in today’s announcement.”