Shares of U.S. Cellular popped nearly 6% Tuesday after T-Mobile announced that it plans to acquire most of the company, including the wireless operator’s stores, some of its spectrum assets and its customers in a deal worth $4.4 billion. The deal includes cash and up to $2 billion of debt, according to a press release from T-Mobile. Up to $100 million of the deal’s cash portion depends on certain financial and operating metrics being met between its signing and closing, according to a separate press release from U.S. Cellular. Shares of T-Mobile were up more than 1% during Tuesday’s session. T-Mobile will acquire about 30% of U.S. Cellular’s wireless spectrum as part of the deal, according to the U.S. Cellular release. It plans to use that to improve coverage in rural areas while offering better connectivity to U.S. Cellular customers around the United States, the two companies announced. The company said it will allow U.S. Cellular customers to keep…
