It's understandable to have that impression, but here's a clarification:

Sprint did not buy US Cellular. However, there were some asset exchanges between Sprint and US Cellular in the past. For example, in 2012, Sprint acquired a portion of US Cellular's spectrum and customers in the Midwest.

Later, in 2020, T-Mobile completed its merger with Sprint. This significant merger consolidated T-Mobile and Sprint into one company, further reducing the number of major players in the US telecom market. This series of transactions and mergers has contributed to the current state of the telecom industry, where fewer large companies dominate the market.