___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1. Title of Security |2. |3. |4.Securities Acquired (A) |5.Amount of |6.Dir |7.Nature of Indirect | |Transaction| or Disposed of (D) | Securities |ect | Beneficial Ownership | |Date |Code| | Beneficially |(D)or | | | | | | A/| | Owned at |Indir | | | | | Amount | D | Price | End of Year |ect(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table II -- Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1.Title of Derivative |2.Con |3. |4. |5.Number of De |6.Date Exer|7.Title and Amount |8.Price|9.Number |10.|11.Nature of| Security |version |Transaction rivative Secu |cisable and| of Underlying |of Deri|of Deriva |Dir|Indirect | |or Exer |Date |Code| rities Acqui |Expiration | Securities |vative |tive |ect|Beneficial | |cise Pr | | | red(A) or Dis |Date(Month/| |Secu |Securities |(D)|Ownership | |ice of | | | posed of(D) |Day/Year) | |rity |Benefi |or | | |Deriva | | | |Date |Expir| | |ficially |Ind| | |tive | | | | A/|Exer-|ation| Title and Number | |Owned at |ire| | |Secu | | | | D |cisa-|Date | of Shares | |End of |ct | | |rity | | | Amount | |ble | | | |Year |(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Stock Option - Right to |$39.1875|4/2/2|A |25,000 |A |(2) |1/1/2|Class A Comm|25,000 | |25,000 |D | | Buy | |001 (| | | | |011 |on Stock | | | | | | | |1) | | | | | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

FORM 5

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

OMB APPROVAL

    Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).
    Form 3 Holdings Reported
    Form 4 Transactions Reported

ANNUAL STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

OMB Number: 3235-0362
Expires: January 31, 2005
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hours per response. . .0.5

Filed By
Romeo and Dye's
Section 16 Filer
www.section16.net

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person* Thomsen, Mikal J.	2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol Western Wireless Corporation (WWCA)		6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) X Director 10% Owner X Officer (give title below) Other (specify below) Director and President
(Last) (First) (Middle) c/o Western Wireless Corporation 3650 131st Avenue SE	3. I.R.S. Identification Number of Reporting Person, if an entity (voluntary)	4. Statement for Month/Year 12/31/2002
(Street) Bellevue, WA 98006		5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)	7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line) X Form filed by One Reporting Person Form filed by More than One Reporting Person
(City) (State) (Zip)	Table I — Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Trans- action Date (Month/ Day/ Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/ Year)	3. Trans- action Code (Instr. 8)	4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 & 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned at End of Issuer's Fiscal year (Instr. 3 & 4)	6. Owner- ship Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Trans- action Date (Month/ Day/ Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/ Year)	3. Trans- action Code (Instr. 8)	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price		6. Owner- ship Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
Class A Common Stock	9/5/02		G⁽¹⁾	50,000	D		25,333	D
Class A Common Stock	9/5/02		G⁽¹⁾	50,000	A		50,000	I	By Family Trust⁽²⁾

Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4(b)(v).

Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB control number

FORM 5 (continued)

Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)

1. Title of Derivative Security

(Instr. 3)

2. Conver-
sion or
Exercise
Price of Derivative Security

3. Trans-
action Date

(Month/
Day/
Year)

3A. Deemed
Execution
Date,
if any
(Month/
Day/
Year)

4. Trans-
action
Code

(Instr. 8)

5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D)

(Instr. 3, 4 & 5)

6. Date Exercisable
and Expiration
Date
(Month/Day/
Year)

7. Title and Amount of Underlying Securities
(Instr. 3 & 4)

8. Price of Derivative Security
(Instr. 5)

9. Number of
Derivative
Securities
Beneficially
Owned
at End of Year
(Instr. 4)

10. Owner-
ship Form
of Deriv-
ative
Security:
Direct (D)
or Indirect (I)
(Instr. 4)

11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership
(Instr. 4)

(A)

(D)

Date Exer-cisable

Expira-
tion
Date

Title

Amount or Number of
Shares

Stock Option - Right to Buy

$39.1875

1/1/02

120,000

⁽³⁾

1/1/12

Class A Common Stock

120,000

Explanation of Responses:

(1) Shares transferred to Thomsen Family Trust #3 for the benefit of the reporting person's children.
(2) The reporting person disclaims beneficial ownership of all securities held by the trusts for the benefit of the reporting person's children, and this report shall not be deemed on admission that the reporting person is the beneficial owner of these shares for purposes of Section 16 or for any other purpose.
(3) 40% vested on date of grant; remaining 60% vest in three equal annual increments beginning 1/1/2003.

By: /s/ Mikal J. Thomsen
Mikal J. Thomsen
**Signature of Reporting Person

2/12/2003
Date

**Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations.
See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).

Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed.
If space is insufficient, See Instruction 6 for procedure.

Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number.

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