Why Carolina West Wireless is calling it quits now

It wasn’t a surprise when Carolina West Wireless decided to sell its wireless business to Verizon. It’s the same old story for a lot of regional and rural carriers. It wasn’t always like this. Twenty or so years ago, smaller carriers raked in the dough from roaming revenues as larger carriers paid for their subscribers to roam onto their networks. But nationwide carriers slowly but surely expanded their coverage, encroaching on the regional operators’ territories, leaving little by way of roaming revenues. At the same time, the economics of providing wireless service to sparsely populated areas didn’t get any better. In hindsight, it’s remarkable that CWW lasted as long as it did, said CCW CEO Slayton Stewart. The company that launched 35 years ago announced in June that it’s shutting down and handing the reins to Verizon.