Verizon completes Alltel purchase
Verizon Wireless has finally completed its $28.1 billion acquisition of regional wireless carrier Alltel.
Verizon announced its plan to buy Alltel in June for $5.9 billion in equity, and it assumed about $22.2 billion in Alltel's debt. The deal was struck only seven months after Alltel was bought out by TPG Capital, a unit of Goldman Sachs Group, for $27.5 billion.
The deal now makes Verizon the largest wireless carrier in the United States, with more than 83.7 million customers. AT&T, which had held that title, had 74.9 million wireless customers as of September 30.
Most of Verizon's new customers are in the Midwest and South, where Alltel operates.
In order to receive approval from regulators, Verizon Wireless agreed to sell operations in 105 markets where Alltel also operates. As a result, Alltel customers in those areas will not be part of the merger with Verizon Wireless.
Alltel customers who are part of the merger will receive letters informing them that their service will change to Verizon Wireless, the company said in an FAQ on its Web site.
Verizon and Alltel both use the cellular technology CDMA. And both companies have built 3G wireless networks using a technology called EV-DO. But it will take months before the companies can integrate their network operations and billing systems.
This means that during the transition, Verizon customers will not be able to receive service at Alltel stores, and vice versa. Alltel customers are also not yet a part of Verizon's in-calling plans. But once the integration is complete, that will change.
And at least for the time being, Alltel customers will not be offered handsets for which Verizon Wireless is the exclusive carrier, including Research In Motion's BlackBerry Storm.
And it's not yet clear when or if deals such as Alltel's My Circle, which allows for unlimited calling between people in a preselected group, will continue. For now, My Circle will be available to Alltel customers while they are on Alltel's pricing plan. Verizon is considering whether to create a similar plan for new and existing Verizon Wireless customers.
Marguerite Reardon has been a CNET News reporter since 2004, covering cell phone services, broadband, citywide Wi-Fi, the Net neutrality debate, as well as the ongoing consolidation of the phone companies. E-mail Maggie. 
If I get switched to Verizon, I'm gonna burn my phones and refuse to pay the bill. They can come find me.
I think the list at the bottom of that page is the list you're looking form. There's a bit of uncertainty as an Alltel subscriber in one of those sell off areas I've no idea who we'll be a part of now Who knows there's a high amount of GSM usability here at least. Maybe AT&T could take it up and fold in. I could use a new iPhone
Verizon has a pretty big presence around here, so I imagine that I could easily be in the area to be sold off. The article didn't say what happens if we are.
I'll hang on until I know more, and then if it seems like I'm getting a bad deal, I'll know it's time to get an iPhone. I've been putting off changing my number to one local to where I live for a while now anyway. I might as well wait until the fog clears and then take care of everything at once.
It wasn't only the people. The "merging" of the technology, networks and backend support, was in actuality a complete move from GTE Wireless systems and applications to Bell Atlantic's...
About the only ones that will remain unaffected will be the sales reps in the stores.
As GTE Wireless/Verizon had sold them the Florida markets, and we maintained operations on our equipment for over a year, I had the chance to work with Alltel as well and I had nothing but respect for their abilities.
I'll never forget working on the Verizon campus in Alpharetta, GA. Their was a guy who used to like to take his lunch on one of the walkways. One of the chiefs from Bell Atlantic, possibly the CEO, was there to survey his company's acquisition. The luncher disappeared. Story went that when the CEO passed this gentleman by on the walkway, he told one of his henchmen that he wanted that guy gone by the end of the day. Later on they found out he was the subject matter expert on the application he worked with, and that they had some issues because of that.
Fortunately, I am locked into 5 more months with my current contract, so I hope to God that I will not experience phone problems, or the need for an insurance claim. The Alltel store from where I purchased my phone no longer has any of my information, so they can't even help me if I needed assistance. Yesterday, I found out that there is only one Alltel retail store left available to me in my area, and it is a one way 35 mile commute. My current store couldn't help me, or give me any answers because they must have switched over to the Verizon plan yesterday, and my information is no longer in there database.
I was a previous Cingular customer, and when AT &T took over, my service/signal went horribly wrong, and it took me 3 months and a lot of arguing to get out of my contract. I just hope that customer service will be courteous, and not a pain to try to get answers and assistance, as opposed to hang ups and "I'm sorry mam, there is nothing we can do! ..."The only other option you would have would be to pay the early termination fees attached to your contract".
I just hope that the transition will be swift and user friendly to us Alltel customers, who are at the mercy of the new Verizon network!
cuz i have verizon, but i kinda want the Delve.
Well when my phone decided to die, I naturally went to the Alltel store only to find out that they couldn't help me b/c of the purchase. So I said "well then I go to a Verizon store then, right?", only to find out they cannot help me either. So where am I supposed to go????? Apparently to a store a lot further away than I was hoping.
This doesn't seem right what they are doing to people who have moved away from the area they originally bought their phone from. I was also upset b/c they told me my father would have to be there physically to buy the new phone. Well now I am left w/out a cell phone until the next time I go to NC or they said if I can find an old used Alltel phone to have my # transfered to.
I am quite upset with this company right now and I don't know if I should be upset at Alltel or Verizon. They really have just left us with unacceptable options.
Screw em..
are new carrier? or who will buy us out i am wondering?
I don't feel good about this service. If you are out of your contract then by all means switch now! So many more options out there to choose from. Run! Run! Run!
Oh! and I don't need to hear anything from you bahamas1 who is obviously a verizon employee.
- by nickk528 November 17, 2009 12:32 PM PST
- i use to have verizon service and im sorry if anyone works there but everytime any one i know had to deal with them that meant going and waiting in their service area which took like hrs usually cuz they had so many probs i got alltel so i could be done with fing verizon now im forced to deal with verizon it is a bunch of crap and no its not like a mortgage company with diff mortgage companies most people dont have to deal with the company on a reg basis i just hope no one is lazy and just resigns with verizon and switches to a diff company like metro pcs or something i know i am
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