Verizon Wireless completes Centennial asset purchase

Verizon Wireless said it has completed the purchase of former Centennial Communications Corp. assets from AT&T Mobility covering portions of Louisiana and Mississippi.
The $235 million purchase included Centennial’s spectrum licenses, network assets and more than 117,000 current customers in six service areas, including: Lafayette, Beauregard, Iberville and West Feliciana, La.; and Claiborne and Copiah, Miss. The additional customers helps bolster’s Verizon Wireless’ position as the nation’s largest wireless operator, though a recent report said that the position will be AT&T Mobility’s within a year.
Verizon Wireless said that beginning today it will begin serving customers in those markets, but will continue with the Centennial brand for the next several months as it begins to convert the network assets to the carrier’s CDMA-based technology. Both Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility have become quite adept at network integrations as they have spent the past several years gobbling up a number of regional operators.
AT&T Mobility was required to divest the markets as a requirement to receiving approval of the Centennial acquisition that was announced in late 2008.