Rural US Operator Buys More Radio Spectrum

Dobson Communications says that its subsidiary, American Cellular has received regulatory approval and completed the purchase of certain wireless assets in Texas 15 Rural Service Area (RSA) and additional PCS wireless spectrum in Tom Green, Brown, Comanche and Mills counties. The US$25 million purchase from Lone Star Wireless and Concho Cellular Telephone increases the Company's competitive footprint in the central core of Texas, being located primarily west and south of markets already served by the Company under the Cellular One brand.

Texas 15 RSA includes 12,477 square miles of the state and has a population of approximately 207,200. The purchase includes 25 MHz of cellular spectrum and 10 MHz of PCS spectrum over Texas 15 RSA which covers Blanco, Burnet, Concho, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Lampasas, Llano, Mason, McCulloch, Menard and San Saba counties.

In addition, American Cellular acquired 10 MHz of PCS spectrum in Tom Green, Brown, Comanche and Mills counties. The Company already provides cellular service in the Brown, Comanche and Mills counties, which are located in Texas 9 RSA. San Angelo, the county seat of Tom Green County, is the largest city in the region.

Dobson Communications is a provider of wireless phone services to rural markets in the United States. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the Company owns wireless operations in 16 states, with markets covering a population of 12 million.

According to The Mobile World database, American Cellular ended Q1 '06 with some 665,000 customers. Dobson as a whole has about 1.5 million customers."

Posted to the site on 3rd July 2006