UScellular Celebrates 40th Anniversary and First Wireless Call

UScellular celebrated its 40th anniversary of its founding in Knoxville, Tennessee by commemorating the location where the company completed Knoxville’s first-ever wireless call near what is now the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

UScellular donated a bench, pathway and plaque to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame to mark the general location of the 1985 call to Tokyo, Japan, where wireless phone manufacturing originated.

“It’s a privilege to have been part of the Knoxville community and grow together for 40 years,” said Thomas White, director of sales for UScellular in East Tennessee. “UScellular was the first wireless carrier in Knoxville and the community-minded, ‘customer first’ mentality that drove our founding has served us well throughout the years. We hope this bench serves as a reminder that human connection is a gift and to provide a spot to connect to what matters most.”

Representatives of UScellular, Knoxville Chamber and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, along with Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, participated in the celebration on Dec. 5.

“UScellular has been a wonderful partner, a thoughtful business citizen and leader alongside Knox County since 1983,” said Jacobs, who also is an avid supporter of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. “Knox County is a great place to do business, and we applaud UScellular’s commitment to caring for our citizens and investing in our infrastructure.”

The Knoxville Chamber also recognized UScellular’s business achievements at the event.

“It is our honor to present UScellular with this commemoration for the longtime positive impact the company has had in our community,” Knoxville Chamber director of investor experience Ashleigh Christian said. “It is fitting that they receive this recognition of excellence at another beloved local institution, the country’s only hall of fame dedicated to celebrating the excellence of women’s basketball.”

The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, located at 700 S. Hall of Fame Drive in downtown Knoxville, opened in 1999.

“We were glad to join UScellular in celebrating this historic event in Knoxville,” said Dana Hart, president of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (WBHOF). “Our mission is to honor the past, celebrate the present and promote the future, and that’s exactly what we did here today.”

About UScellular

UScellular is the fourth-largest full-service wireless carrier in the United States, providing national network coverage and industry-leading innovations designed to help customers stay connected to the things that matter most. The Chicago-based carrier provides a strong, reliable network supported by the latest technology and offers a wide range of communication services that enhance consumers’ lives, increase the competitiveness of local businesses and improve the efficiency of government operations. Through its After School Access Project, the company has pledged to provide hotspots and service to help up to 50,000 youth connect to reliable internet. Additionally, UScellular has price protected all of its plans, promising not to increase prices through at least the end of 2024. To learn more about UScellular, visit one of its retail stores or www.uscellular.com. To get the latest news, visit newsroom.uscellular.com.