alltel

The third time must have been the charm for Verizon Wireless and regional cell phone operator Alltel.

Verizon Wireless supposedly has looked at buying Alltel twice in the past three years. And on Thursday it finally pulled the trigger, announcing that it plans to buy Alltel in a deal valued at $28.1 billion. As part of the deal Verizon will pay $5.9 billion and assume $22.2 billion in debt. The acquisition will make Verizon Wireless the largest cell phone company in the U.S., stripping AT&T of that title.

Verizon Wireless expects to close the … Read more

Verizon Wireless is taking another look at buying regional wireless operator Alltel, according to a story published Wednesday afternoon by The Wall Street Journal.

The deal, which could be valued at around $27 billion, is at a sensitive stage and could fall through over the next few days, the newspaper reported.

Alltel was sold only last year for $27.5 billion to the buyout arm of Goldman Sachs and private equity firm TPG Capital. And, according to the Journal, the banks that financed the deal, including Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Barclays, and Royal Bank of Scotland Group, still owe about $24 … Read more

Alltel, the largest rural cell phone provider in the U.S., plans to use the same technology to build its 4G network that AT&T and Verizon Wireless have chosen, a move that should provide better coverage for next generation wireless users.

But don't expect a major 4G upgrade from Alltel overnight. The company said during its quarterly conference call on Thursday that it would likely take three to five years to deploy the new network.

Still, the fact that yet another wireless operator has committed to using Long Term Evolution or LTE, is a big deal. Since … Read more

It seems everyone wants a piece of the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 as the popular smartphone is making the rounds with the carriers. First, with Verizon Wireless and Sprint at CTIA 2008, and now, Alltel. Available for preorder today online (ships May 1), the Alltel BlackBerry Curve features integrated GPS, Bluetooth 2.0, a 2-megapixel camera with video-recording capabilities, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It will also support several of the carrier's add-on services, including Alltel Navigation, Alltel Axcess Voice2TXT service, and its "My Circle" plan. Pricing for the BlackBerry Curve 8330 starts at $229.99 … Read more

Though carriers have loosened some of the reins in the last couple of years, it still can be a tricky process to get photos off your camera phone. The most common method, sending your snaps as a multimedia message to an e-mail address, costs money. Sure, you can offset individual messaging fees with a messaging plan, but that too will add a few dollars to your monthly bill. A Bluetooth file transfer is a better (and free) option, but you'll need Bluetooth on both ends. Also, up until recently some carriers restricted Bluetooth use so they wouldn't lose … Read more

CTIA 2008 is still one day away from its official start, but the news is already starting to trickle in. Motorola got a jump-start as it, as well as Alltel and U.S. Cellular, announced the addition of the Motorola Q9c to the carriers' line-ups, including a new lime-green version. Both providers will also offer a more traditional black version if you don't feel like getting too wild and crazy with your phone colors. (And how in the world did Moto settle on lime green?)

Looks aside, the Q9c for Alltel and U.S. Cellular is much like the … Read more

Alltel is now selling the Samsung Muse. As we told you in January, the Muse is a slim flip phone in midnight blue. Though its rather generic design won't stand out from the Samsung crowd, it offers more features than you might expect. Inside you'll find a 2-megapixel camera, GPS capabilities with Alltel's Axcess Mobile Guide preloaded, stereo Bluetooth, and a music player. And on an original note, it is compatible with Alltel's new Celltop music-streaming application. The Muse is $269 if you pay full price, but you should be able to get it for $89 … Read more

There were hints that Alltel would soon launch a new LG slider handset called the Glimmer, and it turns out that it's true. Indeed, the latest shiny phone from LG will be an Alltel exclusive, available only via Alltel retail outlets and its online store beginning March 13. Dubbed the AX830 in addition to its more glamorous moniker, the Glimmer has a 2.8-inch touch screen, a slider keypad, a 2-megapixel camera, an MP3 player, a microSD card slot, EV-DO, and has built-in GPS support. It will cost $249.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and a two-year service … Read more

In an effort to keep up with the other carriers, Alltel introduced a nationwide unlimited calling plan called National Freedom Unlimited for $99.99 a month. However, Alltel insists that this plan will only appeal to a few customers, and that most people will want to go for one of their 5, 10, or 20 My Circle plans, for a more economical price. And if you don't call a lot of people that regularly, it makes sense--the My Circle5 plan includes 750 anytime minutes for only $49.99, for example. However, if you're considering a MyCircle20 plan, you … Read more