NorthwestCell was a regional wireless carrier in northwest Missouri, run by Northwest Missouri Cellular Limited Partnership. It ran its own network for over 35 years. In September 2024 it said it was selling select network assets to Verizon. Its wireless operations ended on December 31, 2024. Customers had to switch carriers themselves.
NorthwestCell is gone
NorthwestCell ended its wireless operations on December 31, 2024. It sold select network assets to Verizon, which became the preferred wireless provider in northwest Missouri. The customer transition window ran from September 23 to December 31, 2024. On October 31, 2024, the company also filed to give up its Missouri Eligible Telecommunications Carrier status, effective January 31, 2025.
If you had a NorthwestCell line
NorthwestCell referred customers to Verizon, but the switch was not automatic. Customers could choose Verizon or any other carrier in the area and, per Missouri regulators, could generally keep their number and device. If your number was not moved, call 800-331-6341, the number NorthwestCell published, and ask whether it can still be recovered.
Farmer Publishing gives December 31, 2024 as the switch deadline, while a Missouri Public Service Commission staff memo says remaining Lifeline customers were urged to switch by January 31, 2025.
How NorthwestCell ended
- September 23, 2024: NorthwestCell opens the customer transition window and announces the sale of select network assets to Verizon.
- October 31, 2024: Northwest Missouri Cellular files to relinquish its Missouri Eligible Telecommunications Carrier status, effective January 31, 2025.
- December 2, 2024: Missouri Public Service Commission staff recommend approving the relinquishment and note customers are being referred to Verizon Wireless.
- December 31, 2024: NorthwestCell ends its wireless operations.
- January 31, 2025: Requested effective date for ending its federal high-cost and Lifeline support status.
Why NorthwestCell ended
NorthwestCell CEO Roger Bundridge said the company reviewed the future of wireless, its growing complexity and the need for advanced technology, then chose a partner that could meet those needs now and later. That partner was Verizon, which bought select network assets. The switch to Verizon or another carrier was left to each customer.
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 NorthwestCell
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. NorthwestCell counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about NorthwestCell
Is NorthwestCell still available?
No. NorthwestCell ended its wireless operations on December 31, 2024. It no longer sells plans or serves mobile lines in northwest Missouri. Verizon bought select network assets and became the preferred provider in the area.
Which network did NorthwestCell use?
Its own. NorthwestCell had provided wireless service in northwest Missouri for over 35 years on its own network. Verizon was the buyer of select network assets at the end, not a host network.
What happened to NorthwestCell customers?
They were referred to Verizon Wireless, but had to switch themselves by December 31, 2024. They could also pick any other carrier serving the area and generally keep their phone number and device.
Do NorthwestCell customers have to go to Verizon?
No. Verizon was the preferred provider, but Farmer Publishing and Missouri regulators both say customers could choose Verizon or another wireless carrier. The move was never automatic.
Sources
Checked October 13, 2026.
- Farmer Publishing: NorthwestCell to end wireless operations December 31, 2024: End date, Verizon asset sale, transition window, over 35 years of service, contact 800-331-6341 (September 24, 2024)
- Missouri Public Service Commission: Staff Recommendation, File No. RO-2025-0144: ETC relinquishment filed October 31, 2024, customers referred to Verizon Wireless, number portability (December 2, 2024)
Best Cellular. “NorthwestCell: What Happened,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/northwest-cell/
Free to reuse with credit. Licence, sources and the full dataset. All defunct carriers are listed on carriers that shut down.