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U.S. Cellular said it is selling its Chicago, St. Louis and central Illinois markets, as well as three others in the Midwest, to subsidiaries of Sprint Nextel Corp. in a $480 million deal.
The sale includes PCS spectrum and approximately 585,000 customers, or about 10 percent of U.S. Cellular’s total customer base.
Upon completion of a transition period, the majority of the company’s retail stores, engineering and business support in these markets will be closed, the company said. The Chicago-based company said it will transition its Bolingbrook customer call center operations to an existing vendor partner, effective Jan. 1.
However, U.S. Cellular said it will continue to have more than 1,400 associates in the Chicago area at its Chicago headquarters and additional facilities in the surrounding suburbs.
U.S. Cellular hopes the sale will allow it to increase focus on markets where it has strong positions and streamline operations to increase overall efficiency and effectiveness, according to a statement released Wednesday morning.
“Our customer-focused business model is possible because of the dedication of our passionate associates,” U.S. Cellular CEO Mary Dillon said in a statement. “Given how these decisions affect associates, they were not taken lightly."
U.S. Cellular exiting Chicago market
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U.S. Cellular exiting Chicago market
