Verizon Wireless buys Nor-Cal operator

Mobile carrier giant Verizon Wireless today made further in-roads into northern California markets, announcing that it acquired the spectrum and network assets of Cal-One Cellular LP, which operates under the Cal North Wireless brand.

The deal expands Verizon Wireless' network footprint in the region to include Del Norte, Humboldt, Siskiyou and Trinity counties. Financial terms are not being disclosed.

The purchase includes Cal North Wireless' spectrum license and network assets of 49 cell sites and related network equipment. The license covers a population of 214,000 people in the four northern California counties, as well as a 70-mile stretch of Interstate 5, several national and state forests and Humboldt State University.

The carrier said it plans to complete the network conversion by the fall and begin offering an extensive line of wireless voice and data products to Cal North Wireless' more than 18,000 customers. Select Verizon Wireless handsets and accessories will be available in Cal North Wireless' stores later this month, and the Cal North Wireless' CDMA network will be integrated into Verizon Wireless' 1xRTT CDMA network in phases, adding capacity and installing high-speed data capabilities by the end of this year.

Verizon Wireless also used the deal as occasion to say that it invested $740 million in its California network and operations during 2005. The company said it has spent $3.7 billion on its California operations in the last six years (Its national network investment in coverage and bandwidth enhancements over that period was $30 billion).