Sept 12 (Reuters) - Verizon expects to record a

severance charge between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion in the

third quarter as a result of a previously announced voluntary

separation program, the carrier said in a regulatory filing on

Thursday.

The telecom operator announced a voluntary separation

program in June for select U.S.-based management staff.

About 4,800 eligible employees are set to separate from

Verizon by the end of March 2025 under the program, with over

half of them exiting this month, the company said.

It also plans to stop the use of certain real estate assets

and exit non-strategic portions of some businesses, due to which

it will record a separate charge of about $230 million to $380

million in the third quarter, Verizon said.

Shares of the company were down marginally in morning

trading.

It has been facing tough competition from AT&T ( T ) and

T-Mobile US ( TMUS ), with both its rivals seeing a lift in

subscriber numbers, thanks to unlimited plans.

Verizon

missed

quarterly revenue estimates in July, grappling with fewer

consumers upgrading their phones. Analysts are betting on

Apple's ( AAPL )

new iPhone release

to aid phone upgrade activity, benefiting Verizon.

To boost its subscriber base, Verizon agreed last week

to buy fiber-optic internet provider Frontier Communications

in an all-cash deal worth $20 billion.