Editing Cellular One

{{Short description|United States telecommunications brand name}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
[[Image:Cellular One logo.svg|300px|thumb|Cellular One logo]]

'''Cellular One''' is the trademarked brand name that licenses services (radio frequencies for telecommunications) used by several cellular service providers in the [[United States]]. The brand was sold to Trilogy Partners by [[AT&T]] in 2008 shortly after AT&T had completed its acquisition of [[Dobson Communications]].  Cellular One was originally the trade name of one of the first mobile telephone service providers.

==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.

==Regional markets that operate under the Cellular One brand name==

{| class="toccolours sortable" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse"
! Market!! Name !! Web site !! Holding company !! Owners
!Notes
|-
| Northeastern [[Arizona]], Northwestern [[New Mexico]], Southern Colorado, and Southern Utah || Cellular One of North East Arizona || [https://mycellularone.com/ mycellularone.com] || Smith Bagley Inc. || [[Elizabeth Frawley Bagley]] and children<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wireless2.fcc.gov/ownerQryDetail/ownership-search-results-detail.htm?applId=9443259|title=Indirect Ownership, Ownership, 01/28/2016|date=January 28, 2016|access-date=June 27, 2016|publisher=FCC}}</ref>
|Partner with Tier 1 carriers to offer Nationwide coverage
|-
|}

==Former Cellular One partners==

===Partners that went out of business without acquisition of itself or its assets===
* Central Louisiana Wireless, LLC dba Cellular One

===Independent wireless providers===
* Viaero Wireless (Formerly Cellular One of Northeast Colorado) 
* Arctic Slope Telephone Association Cooperative
* [[US Cellular|UScellular]] (Formerly Madison Cellular Telephone Co. and Westel Milwaukee Company, Inc.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cellular1to1.com/sweep.html |title=Sweepstakes Rules |access-date=June 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970704040245/http://www.cellular1to1.com/sweep.html |archive-date=July 4, 1997 |url-status=dead }}</ref> of [[BellSouth Mobility]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/ApplicationSearch/applMain.jsp;JSESSIONID_APPSEARCH=M1BlZt2TyWvPG3QR5gQrvM7KLnGz4jL7zLMJGyqgJYnnwKcJ543B!-1891113741!NONE?applID=326526|title = ULS Application - Cellular - 0000054231 - WESTEL-MILWAUKEE COMPANY, INC. BELLSOUTH MOBILITY INC}}</ref>) - Wisconsin and northern Illinois<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-69564291.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004190301/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-69564291.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 4, 2017|title=CHICAGO COMPANY GAINS CONTROL OF CELLULAR ONE.(Business Thursday)|date=February 6, 1997|access-date=March 3, 2017|publisher=HighBeam Research}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/u-s-cellular-corporation-history/|title=U.S. Cellular Corporation History|access-date=March 3, 2017|publisher=Funding Universe}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://uscc.com/USCellular_bystate/WI |title=United States Cellular Territory |access-date=June 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990209002209/http://uscc.com/USCellular_bystate/WI |archive-date=February 9, 1999 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Partners acquired by Atlantic Tele-Network===
* Choice Wireless, LLC - Texas and Oklahoma
* One Communications (Formerly Cell One of Bermuda)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bernews.com/2016/11/video-two-into-one-equals-new-unified-brand/|title=Logic, CellOne Combine: 'One Communications'|date=November 2016}}</ref>

===Partners acquired by Verizon Wireless===
* [[Unicel]] (Rural Cellular Corporation - AL, KS, MA, MN, MS, OR, ME, NH) Completed August 2008<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.vzw.com/news/2008/08/pr2008-08-07.html|title=Verizon Wireless Completes Purchase Of Rural Cellular}}</ref>
* Price Communications Wireless (Bay County FL, Southern GA including Macon and Albany, Southern AL including Dothan and Montgomery, and southern SC) purchase completed in August 2002<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.vzw.com/news/2002/08/pr2002-08-15a.html|title=Verizon Wireless Acquisition Of Price Communications Wireless Business In Southeast Finalized}}</ref>
* Alabama Wireless, Inc. (Cellular One of Northern Alabama) Purchased January 2002{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}
* Contel Cellular/GTE Mobilnet (operated under the Cellular One name in most of [[Tennessee]], north-west [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], northern [[Alabama]], and north central [[Kentucky]]; dropped the Cellular One name and switched to the [[GTE]] Wireless name in the late 1990s)
* Cell One Kansas City:  Owned and operated by [[Airtouch]], morphed into Verizon at launch in 2000
* Cellular One of Northeast Pennsylvania [[Wayne County, Pennsylvania|Wayne]] and [[Pike County, Pennsylvania|Pike]] counties, [[Pennsylvania]] (South Canaan Cellular, owned by [[US Cellular]] until [[Verizon Wireless]] acquisition)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Sheldon |date=March 15, 2012 |title=Verizon Wireless Completes Purchase Of Cellular One Of Northeast Pennsylvania |url=http://news.verizonwireless.com/news/2012/03/pr2012-03-14v.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120520202056/http://news.verizonwireless.com/news/2012/03/pr2012-03-14v.html |archive-date=May 20, 2012}}</ref>

'''Verizon properties Originally acquired by Alltel prior to the January 2009 merger'''

* Cellular XL (Cellular One of Mississippi) Purchased December 2002 {{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}
* HickoryTech Wireless<!--as of January 2014, renamed Enventis--> (Cellular One of Mankato) Purchased by Western Wireless Jan. 2004
* Western Wireless (Cellular One West - AZ, AR, CA, CO, IA, ID, KS, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, SD, TX, UT & WY) Purchased Jan. 2005
* Virginia Cellular (CellOne Virginia) Purchased 2005
* Cellular One of Amarillo Purchased April 2006
* Cellular One of [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge]], [[Louisiana]] (owned by the former [[James Garvey (Louisiana politician)|James Garvey]]'s Radiofone of [[Metairie, Louisiana|Metairie]], Louisiana, which SBC bought; divested by SBC to Alltel when SBC and BellSouth formed [[Cingular]] because BellSouth already had a cellular system in Baton Rouge)

===Partners acquired by AT&T===
* [[Unicel]] only in the states of VT, NY and WA. Other Unicel systems were acquired by Verizon.
* [[AT&T Wireless Services|AT&T Wireless]] (original McCaw systems; see above)
* [[Cingular Wireless]] (see above)
* [[Vanguard Cellular]] (see above)
* [[BellSouth Cellular]] (operated under the Cellular One name instead of the BellSouth name in the [[Indianapolis, Indiana|Indianapolis, IN]] and [[Chicago area]]s with Chicago later sold to [[SBC Communications]]; both switched to the Cingular brand when SBC and BellSouth formed Cingular)
* [[Centennial Communications]] (operated under the Cellular One name in northern Indiana, Louisiana, southwest Michigan, and Mississippi; later dropped the Cellular One name and rebranded as Centennial Wireless; company acquired by AT&T in 2009 with most Mississippi and Louisiana assets divested to Verizon Wireless)
* Santa Cruz Cellular Telephone Company, Santa Cruz County, CA (purchased by Dobson in the mid-1990s sold to AT&T in approximately 2002)-This was a key purchase for AT&T as only missing holes in O&O Northern California coverage were San Benito & Santa Cruz counties, owned then, by Dobson.
* Easterbrooke Cellular, Elkins, WV- Purchased on January 3, 2008, to expand coverage in West Virginia
* [[Dobson Communications]] acquisitions
** PriCellular (New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, West Virginia, Tennessee) &mdash; Acquired by American Cellular in March 1998<ref>{{cite news |title=Cellular firms ring up deal |work=CNNMoney |publisher=[[Cable News Network|CNN]] |date=March 9, 1998 |url=https://money.cnn.com/1998/03/09/deals/cellular/ |access-date=May 31, 2012}}</ref>
** American Cellular &mdash; Purchased August 2003<ref>{{cite press release |title=Dobson Communications Completes Acquisition Of American Cellular Corporation; Creates Ninth Largest U.S. Wireless Provider |format=An ad script in the page contains a faulty redirect (See below). |agency=Prime Newswire |publisher=Primezone (via ArriveNet) |date=August 19, 2003 |url=http://press.arrivenet.com/business/article.php/259505.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070930190039/http://press.arrivenet.com/business/article.php/259505.html |archive-date=September 30, 2007}} To view the page, do either of the following:
*Temporarily turn off JavaScript, or
*disable JavaScript for just web.archive.org, or 
*view the archive.org page in a browser that does not use JavaScript, such as [[Lynx (web browser)|Lynx]] or [[Dillo]].</ref>
** RFB Cellular, Inc (Cellular One of Northeast Michigan) &mdash; Purchased by Dobson Communications in December 2004<ref>{{cite press release |title=Dobson Communications Purchases RFB Cellular, Inc. Assets in Northern Michigan |publisher=Dobson Communications Corporation (via irconnect.com) |date=December 29, 2004 |url=http://www.irconnect.com/dcel/pages/news_releases.html?d=70112 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090227035540/http://www.irconnect.com/dcel/pages/news_releases.html?d=70112 |archive-date=February 27, 2009}}</ref>
** Highland Cellular ([[Virginia|VA]], [[West Virginia|WV]]) &mdash; Purchased in October 2006 by American Cellular (a subsidiary of Dobson Communications)<ref>{{cite news |title=American Cellular buys Highland for $95M |agency=Associated Press |work=boston.com Business |publisher=The Boston Globe |date=October 5, 2006 |url=http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2006/10/05/american_cellular_buys_highland_for_95m/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090302012220/http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2006/10/05/american_cellular_buys_highland_for_95m/ |archive-date=March 2, 2009}}</ref>
* Cellular Communications of Puerto Rico, Inc (Cellular One Puerto Rico, also serves [[U.S. Virgin Islands]]) &mdash; Acquired by SBC Communications and [[Telmex]] for $814 million in 1999,<ref>{{cite web |title=SBC COMMUNICATIONS AND TELMEX TO ACQUIRE CELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS OF PUERTO RICO |work=Press Release |publisher=SEC Info |date=May 3, 1999 |url=http://www.secinfo.com/dvFqh.6y.b.htm |access-date=May 31, 2012}}</ref><ref name="AMERICA-MOVIL-SAB-DE-CV-Jul-2001-20-F">{{cite web|url=http://pdf.secdatabase.com/862/0000950130-01-502841.pdf |title=AMERICA MOVIL SAB DE CV, Form 20-F, Filing Date Jul 2, 2001 |publisher=secdatabase.com |access-date =May 15, 2018}}</ref> switched to the Cingular brand when SBC and BellSouth formed Cingular.<ref name="CINGULAR-WIRELESS-LLC-Mar-2003-10-K">{{cite web|url=http://edgar.secdatabase.com/2263/95014403002920/filing-main.htm |title=CINGULAR WIRELESS LLC, Form 10-K, Annual Report, Filing Date Mar 11, 2003 |publisher=secdatabase.com |access-date =May 15, 2018}}</ref>
* Cellular One of [[Lake Charles, Louisiana]] (first acquired by [[Centennial Wireless]] which was purchased by AT&T in Nov. 2008)
* [[San Luis Obispo County, California|San Luis Obispo County]], [[California]] (SLO Cellular) &mdash; Sold to AT&T, service ends January 17, 2011.
* Long Lines Wireless (Formerly Cellular One of Great Lakes of Iowa) - Acquired by AT&T July 2013
* [[Edge Wireless]] (AT&T Affiliate merged into AT&T in April 2008). Edge Wireless served Northern California, Southern Oregon, Southeastern and Southcentral Idaho and Jackson, Wyoming.
* Cellular One of East Central [[Illinois]] (Cellular Properties Inc.), purchased in 2016.
* [[Indigo Wireless]] (Formerly Cellular One of West Nebraska, and Cellular One of north central [[Pennsylvania]]) Went out of business in 2023, sold its spectrum licenses to AT&T

==External links==
* [https://mycellularone.com/ Cellular One, LLC] homepage

==References==
{{reflist|refs=https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company-profiles.smith_bagley_inc.e826bfe7bc6d200c17c3888a9f05defd.html}}
{{US mobile phone companies}}

[[Category:Mobile phone companies of the United States]]