Company Information

U.S. Cellular was created in 1983 as a subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems (TDS), Inc., which still owns an 81% stake.

Originally, U.S. Cellular used TDMA cell phones in most markets, but the company has completed shifting over to 1xRTT CDMA technology and is currently converting its network to EVDO. U.S. Cellular has since discontinued all analog and TDMA services. US Cellular plans to eventually use GSM based LTE for its future 4G network.

U.S. Cellular was the fifth-largest mobile phone company in the United States with 6.5 million customers as of the end of 2008. The company offers regional coverage in the Pacific Northwest, Midwest, parts of the East and New England. Although headquartered in Chicago, U.S. Cellular did not offer service in the Chicago metropolitan area until it acquired territories from PrimeCo Communications between 2002 and 2003, after the formation of Verizon Wireless.

U.S. Cellular's Unlimited Call-Me feature allows users (including prepaid users) to receive calls without charge while in their local calling area. Customers with a current National plan can also receive incoming calls free nationwide. The company's phones also offer picture messaging and "easyedge" data services. In addition, they offer unlimited incoming text, picture, and video messages.^[2]

The company touts its service, having one of the highest customer retention rates among its competitors, as reported by some market research firms.^[3]

As a public service, U.S. Cellular works with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to provide free AMBER Alerts via text messaging.