Verizon Wireless buys Centennial assets

SOUTH MISSISSIPPI — Verizon Wireless has purchased from AT&T certain operating assets of Centennial Communications Corp. in Louisiana and Mississippi for $235 million.

The transaction was agreed to last year by Verizon Wireless and AT&T and satisfies certain 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 in Louisiana and Mississippi. The purchased Mississippi assets are located in the counties of Adams, Amite, Claiborne, Copiah, Franklin, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marion, Pike, Simpson, Walthall and Wilkinson.

Verizon Wireless 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.

For now, there are no changes to customers’ calling plans or service, according to Verizon Wireless. Before the network conversion in a particular area is complete, customers will receive a letter from Verizon Wireless explaining their service changeover. At that time, customers will have the opportunity to select a device comparable to their existing one at no additional cost or upgrade their device at a promotional price.