Rural Cellular Corporation (RCC) was an American telecommunications company that provided wireless communications services primarily to rural markets in the United States. Founded in 1990, the company operated under various brand names, including Unicel, in multiple states across the Upper Midwest, Northeast, and Pacific Northwest regions. The company specialized in delivering cellular services to underserved rural communities, focusing on areas where major national carriers had limited presence. RCC built its network through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions of smaller regional carriers throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2007, Verizon Wireless announced its intention to acquire Rural Cellular Corporation for approximately $2.67 billion. The acquisition was completed in 2008, marking the end of RCC’s independent operations. At the time of its acquisition, Rural Cellular served approximately 716,000 customers across 15 states, operating both CDMA and GSM networks. The company was notable for its role in expanding wireless coverage to rural America during the early development of cellular telecommunications. RCC’s business model focused on markets with populations under 100,000 people, helping to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural communities. The company maintained its headquarters in Alexandria, Minnesota, throughout its independent operation.