Verizon purchases Centennial

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless has purchased from AT&T certain operating assets of Centennial Communications Corp. in Louisiana and Mississippi for $235 million.

The transaction satisfies divestiture requirements of the regulatory approvals needed for AT&T to complete its acquisition of Centennial Communications.

The purchase includes Centennial's spectrum licenses, network assets and more than 117,000 current customers in six service areas: Lafayette, Beauregard, Iberville and West Feliciana, La., and Claiborne and Copiah, Miss.

While Verizon Wireless bagan serving customers in the acquired Centennial markets, the company will continue to use the Centennial brand for the next several months as it works to convert Centennial's existing wireless network to CDMA technology.

 Verizon Wireless also will roll out high-speed mobile broadband service on a market-by-market basis in the newly acquired properties.

The enhanced wireless network will allow customers to access the Internet and e-mail at broadband data speeds from their wireless devices, as well as view high-quality videos, and download music, games, ringtones and ring back tones.

ChannellVision Magazine © 2010