U.S. carrier T-Mobile has signed an agreement to purchase 10 MHz of Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum from U.S. Cellular for $308 million in cash. This additional spectrum will allow for an incremental roll-out of T-Mobile’s 4G LTE network coverage to new markets and expands the existing 4G LTE bandwidth in the important Mississippi Valley region.

The spectrum covers a total of 32M people in 29 markets in the Mississippi Valley region — notably in St. Louis; Nashville; Kansas City; Memphis; Lexington; Little Rock-North Little Rock; Birmingham; New Orleans; and Louisville. 

The agreement is subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Department of Justice, and other customary closing conditions. Following regulatory approval, the transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Operator has already announced that migration of MetroPCS customers onto its 4G HSPA+ and LTE network is ahead of planned schedule. As customers leave the MetroPCS network, the freed up spectrum can then be added to the company's growing 4G LTE network. Deploying the company's spectrum on a single network provides a path to double its initial LTE deployment (to 20+20 MHz of 4G LTE) in approximately 90 percent of the top 25 metro areas planned for 2014 and beyond.