−Removed: United States Cellular Corporation (UScellular) provides wireless telecommunications services to customers with 5.0 million connections in portions of 21 states collectively representing a total population of 32 million.
+Added: United States Cellular Corporation (UScellular) provides wireless telecommunications services to customers with 4.7 million retail connections in portions of 21 states collectively representing a total population of 32 million.
UScellular operates in one reportable segment, and all of its wireless operating markets are in the United States.
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Operating Strategy and Community Focus
−Removed: UScellular’s strategy is to attract and retain customers through a value proposition comprising a high-quality network, outstanding customer service, and competitive devices, plans and pricing - all provided with a community focus.
+Added: UScellular’s strategy is to attract and retain customers by providing a high-quality network, outstanding customer service, and competitive devices, plans and pricing - all provided with a community focus.
UScellular operates a regional wireless network.
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UScellular serves its local communities through exclusive partnerships with acclaimed national nonprofit partners.
−Removed: In 2021, UScellular continued exploring ways to leverage its assets, brand, partnerships, and resources to begin to close the digital divide with a focus on helping to ensure youth in its markets have reliable and fast internet access in school and at home.
−Removed: UScellular continues to contribute to the TDS Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) program.
+Added: In 2022, UScellular continued exploring ways to leverage its assets, brand, partnerships, and resources to close the digital divide with a focus on helping to ensure youth in its markets have reliable and fast internet access in school and at home through the After School Access Project.
+Added: In addition, UScellular continues to contribute to the TDS Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) program.
UScellular believes in serving as a good steward of the environment and enacting governance practices that align with its corporate values and commitment to its customers, associates and its communitie s.
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UScellular focuses on consumer, business and government customers located in its operating markets.
−Removed: These customers are served primarily through UScellular’s retail and direct sales channels.
+Added: These customers are served primarily through UScellular’s retail, digital platform, as well as its direct and indirect sales channels.
UScellular provides a wide variety of wireless services accessible on a broad range of devices.
Customers can obtain wireless services on a postpaid or prepaid basis.
−Removed: A single account may include monthly wireless services for a variety of handsets and connected devices.
+Added: A single account may include monthly wireless services for a variety of handsets, connected devices and IoT Solutions.
A postpaid connection represents an individual line of service for a device for which a customer is generally billed one month in advance for a monthly access charge in return for access to and usage of network services.
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UScellular offers various service plans with nationwide coverage tailored to the needs of customers.
−Removed: Depending on those needs at a particular time, service plans may include features related to, among other things:
+Added: Depending on those needs, service plans may include features related to, among other items:
unlimited or metered voice and data;
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Service offerings vary from time to time based on customer needs, technology changes and market conditions - and may be provided as standard plans or as part of limited time promotional offers.
−Removed: UScellular offers advanced wireless solutions to consumers and business and government customers, including a fast-growing and expansive suite of connected Internet of things (IoT) solutions and software applications across the categories of monitor and control (e.g., sensors and cameras), business automation/operations (e.g., e-forms, office solutions), communication (e.g., enterprise messaging, back-up router for business continuity services), fleet and asset management, smart water solutions, private cellular networks and custom, bespoke end-to-end IoT solutions et al.
−Removed: Additionally, for first responders, UScellular offers both Wireless Priority Services (WPS) and Quality Priority and Preemption (QPP) options.
−Removed: UScellular intends to continue to further enhance these offerings for customers in 2022 and beyond.
−Removed: UScellular offers a comprehensive range of devices such as smartphones and other handsets, tablets, wearables, mobile hotspots, routers, and IoT devices.
+Added: UScellular offers home and business internet throughout the footprint via fixed wireless access.
+Added: Options include an in-home self-installed device and externally-mounted professionally-installed equipment with an internal router.
+Added: Additional routers are available for a whole-home Wi-Fi experience.
+Added: In addition to selling direct to businesses and residential homes, UScellular works with several municipalities to bring broadband internet to underserved communities.
+Added: UScellular offers advanced wireless solutions to consumers and business and government customers including "home and business internet", a fast-growing and expansive suite of connected Internet of things (IoT) solutions and software applications across the categories of monitor and control (e.g., sensors and cameras), business automation/operations (e.g., e-forms, office solutions), communication (e.g., enterprise messaging, primary and back-up internet connectivity for business continuity), fleet and asset management, smart water solutions, private cellular networks and custom, bespoke end-to-end IoT solutions et al.
+Added: Additionally, for first responders, UScellular offers a suite of critical connectivity solutions that includes Wireless Priority Services (WPS) and Quality Priority and Preemption (QPP) options.
+Added: UScellular intends to continue to further enhance these offerings in 2023 and beyond.
+Added: UScellular offers a comprehensive range of devices such as smartphones and other handsets, tablets, wearables, mobile hotspots, fixed wireless home internet, and IoT devices.
In addition, UScellular also offers a wide range of accessories, including wireless essentials such as cases, screen protectors, chargers, memory cards and consumer electronics such as audio, home automation and networking products.
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UScellular purchases devices and accessory products from a number of original equipment manufacturers and distributors.
−Removed: UScellular manages relationships with its suppliers to ensure best possible pricing and identifies opportunities for promotional support from its suppliers.
−Removed: UScellular does not own significant product warehousing and distribution infrastructure;
−Removed: rather, it contracts with third party providers for the majority of its product warehousing, distribution and direct customer fulfillment activities.
−Removed: UScellular also contracts with third party providers for services related to its device service programs.
+Added: UScellular manages relationships with its suppliers to ensure its customers have access to the industry's latest devices, to obtain best possible pricing, and to identify opportunities for promotional support from its suppliers.
+Added: UScellular contracts with third party providers for the majority of its product warehousing, distribution and direct customer fulfillment activities.
+Added: UScellular also contracts with third party providers for its device service programs.
Seasonality in operating expenses may cause operating income to vary from quarter to quarter.
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UScellular has relationships with exclusive and non-exclusive agents (collectively “agents”), which are independent businesses that obtain customers for UScellular on a commission basis.
−Removed: UScellular provides support and training to its agents to increase customer satisfaction and to ensure a consistent customer experience.
UScellular’s agents are generally in the business of selling wireless devices, wireless service plans and other related products.
−Removed: In order to expand its retail presence, UScellular also maintains relationships with national retailers.
−Removed: National retailers sell prepaid devices, and some also sell postpaid devices.
+Added: UScellular provides support and training to its agents to increase customer satisfaction and to ensure a consistent customer experience.
+Added: In order to expand its retail presence, UScellular also maintains relationships with national retailers, primarily selling prepaid devices.
The wireless telecommunication industry is highly competitive.
UScellular competes directly with several wireless service providers in each of its markets.
−Removed: In general, there are between two and four competitors in each wireless market in which UScellular provides service, excluding resellers and mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs).
+Added: In general, there are between three and four competitors in each wireless market in which UScellular provides service, excluding resellers and mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs).
In its footprint, UScellular competes to varying degrees against each of the national wireless companies:
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In addition, UScellular competes with other companies that use alternative communication technology and services to provide similar services and products.
−Removed: Since each of these competitors operates on systems using spectrum licensed by the FCC and has comparable technology and facilities, competition among wireless service providers for customers is principally on the basis of types of services and products, price, size of area covered, network quality, network speed and responsiveness of customer service.
+Added: Since each of these competitors operates on systems using spectrum licensed by the FCC and has comparable technology and facilities, competition among wireless service providers for customers is principally on the basis of types of services and products, price, brand, size of area covered, network quality, network speed and responsiveness of customer service.
Types of services and products include non–wireless related services such as content offerings that are bundled with wireless services.
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A high-quality network, supported by continued investments in that network, is an important factor for UScellular to remain competitive.
−Removed: UScellular continues to devote efforts to enhance its network capabilities.
−Removed: UScellular has completed its deployment of VoLTE technology.
−Removed: VoLTE technology allows customers to utilize a 4G LTE network for both voice and data services and offers enhanced services such as high definition voice and simultaneous voice and data sessions.
−Removed: 5G technology helps address customers’ growing demand for data services and creates opportunities for new services, including high-speed fixed wireless home internet services, requiring high speed and reliability as well as low latency.
−Removed: UScellular's 5G deployment is initially focused on mobility services using its low band spectrum.
−Removed: UScellular has acquired high-band and mid-band spectrum, which it will deploy in the future to further enable the delivery of 5G services.
+Added: 5G technology helps address customers’ growing demand for data services and enhances services, including high-speed fixed wireless home internet services, requiring high speed and reliability as well as low latency.
+Added: UScellular's low-band and high-band spectrum is currently supporting mobility and fixed wireless services.
+Added: UScellular has acquired mid-band spectrum which it will deploy in the future to further enable the delivery of 5G services.
UScellular has launched commercial 5G services in portions of substantially all of its markets and will continue to launch in additional areas in the coming years.
+Added: UScellular also operates a VoLTE network.
+Added: VoLTE technology allows customers to utilize a 4G LTE and 5G network for voice and 4G LTE data services which offers enhanced services such as high definition voice and simultaneous voice and data sessions.
Inter-carrier roaming agreements are negotiated between wireless operators to enable customers to use wireless services outside of their home service area.
−Removed: UScellular has entered into 4G LTE and VoLTE roaming agreements with national wireless companies and, as a result, customers have access to these services on a nationwide basis.
−Removed: In addition, UScellular offers a variety of international roaming options and launched 5G roaming in 2021.
+Added: UScellular has entered into roaming agreements with a number of wireless companies in order to offer its customers nationwide services, including 4G LTE, VoLTE and 5G, as well as a variety of international roaming options.
+Added: UScellular owns and leases cell towers to provide service to its customers throughout its footprint.
+Added: In addition, UScellular receives tower rental revenues when another carrier leases tower space on a UScellular owned tower.
+Added: As of December 31, 2022, there were 6,945 cell sites in service and UScellular owned 4,336 towers.
UScellular’s operations are subject to federal, state and local regulation.
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Further, the Federal Aviation Administration also regulates the siting, lighting and construction of transmitter towers and antennae.
−Removed: Reference is made to Item 7 of this Form 10-K under “Regulatory Matters” for information regarding any significant recent developments and proposals relating to the foregoing regulatory matters.
+Added: Reference is made to Item 7 of this Form 10-K under “Regulatory Matters” for information regarding any other significant recent developments and proposals relating to regulatory matters.
Human Capital Resources
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UScellular provides job specific, diversity and inclusion, safety, and fraud awareness training for all associates – and also offers programs to further develop its associates including educational assistance, developmental assignments, and mentoring programs.
−Removed: Associate safety and well-being throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has remained a top priority, and enhanced safety protocols have been established using the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.
−Removed: Frontline associates have been supported through allocation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), facilities changes to enhance safety and social distancing, and adherence to cleaning and safety protocols, while non-customer-facing associates have continued to be supported in a remote work environment.
UScellular is committed to supporting and enhancing the communities it serves through local and philanthropic initiatives that enrich the lives of those living where it operates and where its associates live, work and play.
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Compared sentence by sentence after normalising whitespace, quotation marks, case and digits, so re-formatting and restated figures do not read as changed language. Wording changes appear as one removal and one addition. The current filing and the prior one are authoritative.