T-Mobile US moved to boost its presence in the Midwest through a deal to acquire full ownership of Iowa Wireless from Aureon.

According to T-Mobile, the transaction will give it access to 103 full service stores and authorised dealers, along with 75,000 customers across Iowa, western Illinois, and eastern Nebraska. T-Mobile and Iowa Wireless have been partners since 1997.

T-Mobile cast the move as an acceleration of its geographic expansion in Iowa. The operator indicated it plans to expand its LTE coverage in the state this year, and will further invest with the buildout of its new 600MHz spectrum down the line.

“We’re taking T-Mobile to every corner of the country and this deal shows our commitment to expanding in the heart of America,” CEO John Legere said in a statement.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but closing is expected in the Q4 2017 or early 2018, T-Mobile said.

The move comes as T-Mobile not only pushes to expand its network, but grow its distribution footprint as well. All told, T-Mobile said it expects to have 17,000 branded store locations across the country by the end of the year.