Editing Cellular One (section)

==History==
In 1977, the American Radio Telephone Service and [[Motorola]] formed Cellular One to offer services to the [[Baltimore]]/[[Washington, D.C.]], area. Cellular service began in the Baltimore/DC area in December 1983.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QDaax4mFMpcC&q=cellularone+1977&pg=PA55|title=New Product Success Stories: Lessons from Leading Innovators|last=Thomas|first=Robert J.|date=1995|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9780471013204|language=en}}</ref>

In July 1986, it was announced that [[Metromedia Inc]]. would sell its 55 percent stake in Cellular One to [[Southwestern Bell]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1986/07/01/metromedia-sells-mobile-phone-interest/1042d446-e629-451b-aac1-b79aa5efe9c1/|title=Metromedia Sells Mobile Phone Interest|date=July 1, 1986|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=October 2, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Southwestern Bell later joined into a partnership with [[McCaw Cellular|McCaw Communications]] and Vanguard Cellular Systems called Cellular One Group, which the companies stated would help create a unified cellular network.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-08-12-fi-26530-story.html|title=TELECOMMUNICATIONS : McCaw Cellular, Southwestern Bell Hold Marketing Talks|agency=Reuters|date=August 12, 1994|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=October 2, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> Cellular One Group was eventually opened to include all A-side providers.  Under the US [[Advanced Mobile Phone System|AMPS]] allocation, A-side providers were independent wireless operators, while B-side providers were usually affiliates of the local landline telephone company.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.nap.edu/read/5968/chapter/3|doi=10.17226/5968|title=The Evolution of Untethered Communications|year=1997|publisher=National Academies Press |isbn=978-0-309-05946-6}}</ref> By 1995, Cellular One affiliates had over 5 million customers and affiliates' towers that served approximately 69% of the US population.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cellularone.com/PR_network.html |title=Cellular One Press Release |website=cellularone.com |access-date=January 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980120092823/http://cellularone.com/PR_network.html |archive-date=January 20, 1998 |url-status=dead}}</ref> AT&T purchased McCaw Cellular in 1994; shortly thereafter, AT&T renamed the former McCaw providers "AT&T Wireless" and dropped out of the partnership. [[Western Wireless]] joined the partnership in 1999, and in 2001, the Cellular One group name became the sole property of Western Wireless.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

===Western Wireless===
{{main|Western Wireless}}
Western Wireless operated under the Cellular One brand prior to being purchased by [[Alltel]] in August 2005.

===Dobson===
{{main|Dobson Communications}}
The Cellular One brand name was also used by [[Dobson Cellular]] in various rural markets in the [[continental United States|continental US]] and in [[Alaska]].  In December 2005, Dobson purchased the rights to the Cellular One name from Alltel.  However, their services were completely unrelated.  Dobson used a [[Digital AMPS|TDMA]] and [[GSM]] network; Western Wireless used a [[GSM]], [[Advanced Mobile Phone System|AMPS]], [[Digital AMPS|TDMA]] and [[CDMA]] network.  As of November 15, 2007, Dobson was acquired by [[AT&T Inc.]], except several areas still operated under the Cellular One brand name.{{Clarify|date=November 2015}}  The Cellular One brand was sold to Trilogy Partners as a result of the terms of the acquisition agreement.