NOTE: A previous version of this story had the customer’s name in the story, since publication, the customer has requested his name be removed.

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)- Verizon announced that they had officially bought TracFone in November, but the deal had been years in the making. TracFone customers had already been using Verizon’s network through an agreement, according to the Verizon Wireless website.

TracFone users don’t have to worry about switching over to Verizon Wireless, at least just yet. A Verizon Wireless representative said, “TracFone will continue to operate as a wholly-owned business of Verizon.”

A Capital Region resident, a TracFone customer, said he was unaware TracFone had been bought by Verizon until he received a message saying that he had to upgrade his cell phone to continue using TracFone’s network. He ordered a new phone but said he became suspicious when he received a message from Verizon when he tried to activate it.

“I called Tracfone to have them help me with the activation and told them about the message I got,” He said. “I got very suspicious of how the call was being handled and hung up on the person I was speaking with.”

“If a customer’s TracFone plan is served on a network other than Verizon’s, the customer will be offered the opportunity to upgrade their device in the future to ensure compatibility with Verizon’s network,” according to Verizon.