Back in 2017, AT&T had 280,000 employees: at the start of 2025, these were down to 141,000. Verizon had fewer than 100,000 employees at the end of 2024 and slashed 32,600 jobs in the four years prior to that (but its annual revenues rose by $6.5 billion).
Now, it’s UScellular’s turn: the telco has begun notifying regulators about layoffs tied to T-Mobile’s plan to acquire most of its operations. While a letter cited by local media in Missouri suggests all 4,100 employees could be affected, the company’s WARN filing does not specify how many will lose their jobs. A WARN filing is a required notice that companies must submit to state regulators at least 60 days before carrying out mass layoffs or closing major facilities.
Layoffs at UScellular are scheduled to begin on June 2 and are expected to impact multiple call center locations. The company, which reported around 4,100 employees as of February, has not disclosed how many workers will be affected. Based in Chicago, UScellular is the largest regional wireless carrier in the US, serving roughly 4.1 million postpaid and 400,000 prepaid customers across 21 states.
So far in 2025, no WARN notices have been filed in Illinois by telecom companies. When asked by Light Reading, a UScellular representative declined to provide specifics but stated that T-Mobile, which plans to acquire most of UScellular’s operations, has not made final decisions on staffing. However, they noted
T-Mobile intends to offer jobs to at least a majority of UScellular employees.
Although layoffs were expected given the pending $4.4 billion sale to
T-Mobile, the timing stands out, as they are beginning before the deal has officially closed.
T-Mobile has indicated it hopes to complete the transaction by mid-2025, but that timeline could shift due to ongoing regulatory reviews.
UScellular has struggled in recent years as larger national carriers like
T-Mobile,
Verizon, and
AT&T expanded their reach. Following the
T-Mobile deal, UScellular’s remaining spectrum assets attracted interest from other buyers, though many of those deals depend on
T-Mobile‘s acquisition going through.
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) has raised concerns about the merger, warning it could strengthen
T-Mobile’s influence in local labor markets. The FCC is still reviewing the transaction and has requested additional information.
Notably, T-Mobile had previously pledged not to cut jobs during its 2020 Sprint merger, though it later clarified that promise referred to headcount levels two years after the deal, not immediately post-merger. Overall, job cuts are becoming more common across the US wireless industry, with AT&T and Verizon’s combined workforce shrinking 6% last year, as mentioned above.
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