Shares of U.S. Cellular popped more than 12% Tuesday after T-Mobile announced that it plans to acquire most of the company, including the wireless operator's stores, some of its spectrum assets and its customers in a deal worth $4.4 billion. The deal includes cash and up to $2 billion of debt, according to a press release from T-Mobile. T-Mobile will acquire about 30% of U.S. Cellular's wireless spectrum as part of the deal, according to the U.S. Cellular release. The company said it will allow U.S. Cellular customers to keep their current plans or switch to a T-Mobile plan. This will give U.S. Cellular customers a "strong anchor tenant" for at least 15 years after the deal's close, the company said.

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Organizations: U.S, Mobile, . Cellular, Cellular, Ka'ena, Mint Mobile, U.S . Federal Communications Commission, Sprint, Street Journal, Verizon Locations: Krakow, Poland, U.S, United States