Mid-Rivers Communications is a Montana co-op that ran its own cellular network in eastern Montana from 1997. In January 2019 it agreed to sell the network to Verizon. Retail cellular service ended on August 1, 2019. Mid-Rivers still offers internet and landline phone service, but no longer sells mobile service.
Mid-Rivers Communications cellular was acquired
Mid-Rivers announced on January 16, 2019 that it would sell its cellular network assets to Verizon. The sale covered cell towers, retail operations and wireless sites. It did not include customers, internet or landline service. About 1,700 people had Mid-Rivers cell service. The sale was set to close in late July 2019 after FCC approval, and retail cellular service ended on August 1, 2019.
If you had a Mid-Rivers Communications line
Customers were not transferred to any carrier. Each one had to move to a provider of their choice before August 1, 2019. Verizon offered special deals to Mid-Rivers customers, and AT&T, T-Mobile, TracFone and Straight Talk were also named as options. Most customers could keep their numbers. If your number moved, your current carrier holds it now.
How Mid-Rivers Communications ended
- 1997: Mid-Rivers launches cellular service in eastern Montana.
- January 16, 2019: Mid-Rivers announces the sale of its cellular network assets to Verizon.
- June 2019: Ekalaka Eagle reports the sale should close in late July, pending FCC approval.
- August 1, 2019: Mid-Rivers retail cellular service ends.
Why Mid-Rivers Communications cellular ended
Mid-Rivers built towers in eastern Montana where large carriers did not cover. CEO Michael Candelaria said the cellular market had changed and that other providers could better meet customers’ mobile needs. He also said the roaming revenue that helped build and sustain the network was drying up. Selling the network to Verizon let the co-op exit cellular and keep its internet and landline business.
How to find who holds an old number now
- Check an old bill or payment record. It names the company that billed you last.
- Run the number through a carrier lookup tool. It shows the carrier that holds the number today.
- Call that carrier and ask for the account number and transfer PIN.
- Start the port from the new carrier. Never cancel the old line first.
Your right to keep a number
Number portability is federal law, not a carrier policy. The rule is the FCC’s: Portability: Keeping Your Phone Number When Changing Service Providers.
How we verified Mid-Rivers Communications
BestCellular.com tracks active carriers and defunct ones. We keep both, because people still search for brands that no longer exist. Every fact on this page comes from the sources listed below, and we leave a detail out when no source states it. Where sources disagree, this page says so. If you can document a correction, tell us and we will check it against the sources.
Tracked and active are different counts on this site. Mid-Rivers Communications counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about Mid-Rivers Communications
Is Mid-Rivers Communications cellular still available?
No. Mid-Rivers ended retail cellular service on August 1, 2019, after selling its cellular network assets to Verizon. The co-op still provides internet and landline phone service in eastern Montana.
Which network did Mid-Rivers Communications use?
Its own. Mid-Rivers built and ran its own cell towers in eastern Montana starting in 1997, covering areas from the North Dakota border to central Montana. Verizon bought those network assets in 2019.
What happened to Mid-Rivers Communications customers?
They were not sold with the network. About 1,700 customers had to switch to a provider of their choice before August 1, 2019. Verizon offered them special deals, and most could keep their phone numbers.
Did Verizon take over Mid-Rivers cell service?
Verizon bought the towers, retail operations and wireless sites, not the customer accounts. Verizon set up locations in Baker and Circle to help customers switch, but customers could also choose AT&T, T-Mobile or a prepaid brand.
Sources
Checked October 13, 2026.
- KTVH (MTN News): Montana co-op Mid-Rivers Communications selling cell network to Verizon: Jan 17, 2019. Sale announced Jan 16, 2019; cellular launched 1997; about 1,700 customers; customers not sold; Verizon deals; most can keep numbers.
- Ekalaka Eagle: Mid-Rivers cellular service to end August 1: June 2019. Retail cellular ends Aug 1, 2019; sale to close late July pending FCC approval; customers move to a provider of their choice.
Best Cellular. “Mid-Rivers Communications: What Happened,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/mid-rivers-communications/
Free to reuse with credit. Licence, sources and the full dataset. All defunct carriers are listed on carriers that shut down.