That there is the LG Wine, the newest addition to the US Cellular handset lineup (hat tip to Phone News). It’s a pretty basic clamshell model, featuring a 1.3 megapixel camera with video, Bluetooth, and GPS support. Most of the material out there focuses on the contract price, which can be as low $29.95 after rebates. However, for you prepaid folks out there, it looks like you can nab it for $179.95. That might be a bit steep for a basic model, but that is the burden prepaid users bear for not signing a contract.

Posted in U.S. Cellular on January 21st, 2009
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Boy, aren’t the fellows at U.S. Cellular swell? First the offer talking to kids and parents about wireless safety. It’s part of Wireless Safety Month, a national initiative. It included the U.S. Cellular mascot, a giant — guess what — cell phone, who taught children the basics of dialing 9-1-1.

Posted in U.S. Cellular on June 19th, 2008
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We spend a lot of time talking about the evils of cell phone carriers, so I’m glad to give some positive space to U.S. Cellular. As you probably know, there has been some serious flooding in Iowa. To add to the relief effort, U.S. Cell is offering free phone calls from its three Cedar Rapids and two Coralville stores. This is in addition to the free phone calls available at the Red Cross Shelter at Prairie High School.

Posted in U.S. Cellular on June 18th, 2008
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With Verizon’s purchase of Alltel, it’s only natural to wonder about the fates of other regional carriers. Will other carriers want to consolidate and pick up some more pieces to their spectrum puzzle? If they do, there might be no better target than U.S. Cellular. They are the nation’s No. 6 wireless provider, soon to be No. 5 by default once Alltel is assimilated into Verizon. But they don’t Posted in U.S. Cellular on June 10th, 2008
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Is this the bit that will lead U.S. Cellular to add data plans to its prepaid service? Once can only hope. The nation’s No. 6 wireless carrier has employed JumpTap for its search and advertising solutions. I have an issue or two with this, but if it brings mobile Web to prepaid for U.S. Cell, it’s tough to complain. But I’m always up for arguing, so let’s go.

Posted in U.S. Cellular on May 29th, 2008
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Good news for all you U.S. Cellular prepaid customers. The nation’s No. 6 wireless carrier has signed a deal with Alcatel-Lucent which will give them a larger and faster network. Any maneuver that helps improve service is huge for regional carriers like U.S. Cell. They’re up against enormous national networks with tens of millions of subscribers. The only question is whether this is enough to allow them to grow along with the larger carriers.

Posted in U.S. Cellular on May 22nd, 2008
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If you follow cell phone network news (which you are, I guess, if you’re reading this site), you might be familiar with a company called Nortel. They provide communications technologies to, among other businesses, cell phone service providers. They’re usually hanging around CDMA companies, offering their solutions. U.S. Cellular is their latest contract, as the nation’s sixth-largest wireless company will use Nortel’s services to make it’s CDMA network more powerful.

Posted in U.S. Cellular on March 26th, 2008
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Last week, we learned that U.S. Cellular had been granted the status of Eligible Telecommunications Carrier in West Virginia, which enables them to use the federal Universal Service Fund to create a rural wireless infrastructure in the state. Now the Chicago-based company is doing similar work right in its own backyard. The Illinois Commerce Commission has also deemed U.S. Cellular an ETC. This will allow them to do the same thing they plan to do in West Virginia: Build a network that will reach areas pretty much ignored by larger cell companies.

Posted in U.S. Cellular on March 11th, 2008
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