Dobson Cellular
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Wireless telecommunications |
| Predecessor | Dobson Communications Corporation |
| Fate | Acquired by AT&T Mobility |
| Headquarters | Oklahoma City , United States |
Area served | United States (Alaska, Arizona, California, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin) |
| Products | Wireless telecom services (D-AMPS and GSM platforms) |
| Parent | Dobson Communications Corporation (until acquisition) |
Dobson Cellular Systems, Inc.—currently integrated into AT&T Mobility—was a wireless telecom operator covering numerous areas throughout the United States, including states such as Alaska, Arizona, California, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Operating as a fully owned subsidiary of Dobson Communications Corporation, headquartered in Oklahoma City, Dobson provided services under the Cellular One brand on both D-AMPS and GSM platforms. The company secured the rights to use the Cellular One trademark from Alltel in December 2005.
Corporate history
Originating in the 1920s as a modest wireline telephone company based in Oklahoma, Dobson Communications expanded over seventy years to become the foremost independent rural wireless carrier in the United States. This growth was fueled by acquisitions that extended its presence into 60 markets during the previous ten years.
On June 29, 2007, AT&T Inc. announced its intention to purchase Dobson Cellular for $2.8 billion ($13 per share), while also taking on $2.3 billion in debt obligations. The acquisition was finalized on November 15, 2007, with the integration of services commencing on December 9. Subsequently, in February 2008, the Cellular One brand was transferred to Trilogy Partners.
Due to regulatory concerns regarding market concentration, AT&T was restricted from acquiring certain Dobson territories in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kentucky. These regions were temporarily held in a trust for one year; Kentucky’s markets were eventually sold to Verizon Wireless in November 2008 (with transition completed by November 2009). Meanwhile, markets in Texas and Oklahoma (designated TX-10 and OK-5) were sold to MTPCS, LLC affiliates, who licensed the Cellular One brand from Trilogy Partners.
Network
Focusing mainly on rural areas, Dobson positioned itself as the leading cellular provider within Alaska and Michigan. It operated as the sole GSM network provider in several regions and collaborated with resellers such as TracFone along with smaller MVNOs in select states. Additionally, Dobson facilitated voice and data roaming for numerous customers of AT&T and T-Mobile. The company enhanced its network by upgrading most of its GSM/GPRS towers with an EDGE overlay to improve data transmission speeds for subscribers.