Alltel commits to LTE, adds 1M customers in Q1

See, it's not all dour news in the wireless industry -- oft-overlooked carrier Alltel just announced that it added over 1M gross wireless customers in the first quarter, and that it's committed to LTE in the next three to five years. The LTE news isn't particularly surprising, since Alltel's got roaming agreements to maintain and both Verizon and AT&T are committed to LTE, but the company did specifically say that it was picking LTE over WiMAX. (Oh, and if you're keeping score, that pretty much puts the final, final nail in the coffin for Qualcomm's UMB -- good thing it's got those LTE-compatible chipsets in the works.) Alltel's actually growing pretty fast -- this is the second quarter in a row it's added over 1M gross customers, probably due to those sparkling call-quality survey results -- but we still have our doubts when the company claims it's "America's Largest Network." Should be interesting to see how this all shakes out as 4G gets built out, no?

Read - Alltel Q1 results [Warning: PDF link]
Read - Alltel commits to LTE

[Dach @ May 15th 2008 3:15PM]

Well, considering 35 million Californians can't get Alltel, that makes me think they can't possibly have the largest network. I also wish they'd quit advertising here!

[Mills @ May 15th 2008 4:14PM]

keep in mind that "largest network" is based on roaming agreements and their native nationwide coverage, not subscriber base or market blanket. alltel only has 18 million customers give or take a few. but the way their network is set up truly does allow them to say their network is the nations largest coverage.


As far as the LTE thing goes, i think this is amazing. Im so glad alltel finally choose the right way to go. this is very exciting and surely will open up new doors to worldwide expansion. (with roaming i mean)

[BuddhaBoy @ May 15th 2008 6:02PM]

"WIZARD!"

[ashton @ May 15th 2008 7:49PM]

Whos said they cant get alltel. I Live in San Diego and I have alltel!! Just because a local store isnt near you doesnt mean you can t sign up online or over the phone. We live in times were ppl do everything over the internet so why not sign up for phone service too

[Sheila @ May 15th 2008 3:15PM]

Which US carriers is not going to LTE?

[SeditioN VII @ May 15th 2008 3:18PM]

Sprint PCS is for sure going WiMax, at least ...if their still in business in "3-5" years

[Frankenstein Black @ May 15th 2008 4:02PM]

Oh Snap!

[boogie @ May 15th 2008 3:27PM]

"they are"?

[Sideways Glancer @ May 15th 2008 3:28PM]

Gross is not net.

How many did they lose?

[Marty @ May 15th 2008 3:47PM]

Maybe I'm the one who doesn't get it... but I thought that "America's Largest Network" was in refererence to their Circle of Friends or whatever you call it plan? They allow you to add 5, 10 or 20 people from any carrier to your 'faves' or 'friends' list and you can call those number unlimited? So the logic is that if you can call (almost) anyone on any other carrier unlimited... it makes them the "largest" network in America?
i.e. 'network' in this sense does not refer to actual technology or coverage.

Just crappy advertising really. The fact that most don't get it or that I totally misunderstood says a lot about it.

[SeditioN VII @ May 15th 2008 3:55PM]

False. They have been claiming they have the biggest "Network" since before "My Circle"

[striggity @ May 15th 2008 10:48PM]

yea there was actually a pretty in depth write up here not too long ago tackling the very issue. I thought it was absurd, nothing but smoke and mirrors. When contacted, the vp of marketing couldn't even back up the claim.

[Ed @ May 15th 2008 3:50PM]

Heh, they're still around?

[Stephen @ May 15th 2008 3:52PM]

Its "America's Largest Network" because it owns the most towers and space. Alltel focus is on rural markets and spends the money to put infrastructure there. Most other networks have agreements with Alltel to use the networks. When you are roaming as you travel, you are more likely to be on an Alltel network than some other company.

[Liquidretro @ May 15th 2008 4:02PM]

As an Alltel customer this surprises me. I don't plan on renewing. SERO here I come!!!

[Frankenstein Black @ May 15th 2008 4:10PM]

The 4G US landscape is going to be very interesting. All (except Sprint, for now) have committed to LTE. Can the dream be real? A US mobile future in which all operators are on the same tech? Possibly. But one thing for certain, Verizon will not give up the type of device control that they are accustomed to with CDMA/ESNs. Can anyone say “LTE sure, but what’s up with the “V” PHONES having their SIM EMBEDDED?” WATCH!

[RC @ May 15th 2008 5:19PM]

I wouldn't be suprised, knowing Verizon might not want unlocked phones floating around on their network.

But they did say they were going to become more "open"........

[Derek @ May 15th 2008 4:31PM]

I happily moved to Alltel, partly because Verizon didn't service this area when we moved here. But mostly because I could get a phone from them that hadn't been hobbled by the carrier. I'm using the same phone I had on Verizon, just without the intentional crippling.

I like being able to use a micro-SD card to copy ringtones, wallpapers or pictures onto my phone. I don't think I should have to pay Verizon to use their service or use the "fake a picture message and save it from your outbox" method.

[Teetdogs @ May 15th 2008 4:45PM]

As an alltel customer i can say I am a very happy customer, they have great service, and great customer service as well as resonable calling plans and the my circle thing really works well, My only complaint would be getting the latest phones in a timely manner but I suppose that is to be expected with CMDA carriers. Oh and my other gripe is the HTC PPC-6800 they sold me last year sucks and they dont seem to be doing anything to fix the problems with the software. Oh well its time to move on to the blackberry curve for this year.

[CraigJ @ May 15th 2008 5:14PM]

I just like the wizard...

[CoolBradG @ May 15th 2008 5:20PM]

My family has been with Alltel for almost 4 years and they are great! We're from Michigan and we travel down south and we always have reliable reception.

Never once have we ever been charged for roaming too. Only con is their phone selection isn't the greatest but its improving.

[Ryan @ May 15th 2008 5:24PM]

In square miles covered, Alltel runs the "largest" network. Unfortunately, most of those quare miles are in the sticks of the US, and not in the major metro areas.

[bhtooefr @ May 15th 2008 8:35PM]

Not only that, but much of their network is AMPS!

(And, I think that's a huge reason why they didn't shut down AMPS when the FCC allowed it - because if they shut down their AMPS towers, they'd lose their "largest network" claim.)

[Zach @ May 15th 2008 5:26PM]

Well, I had Alltel for about 5 years and finally switched to
AT&T(Cingular then) because I dropped calls every five minutes...I
love AT&T, never had any problems...except I wish my area had 3G. I'm in the 3rd largest city in Mo for Pete's sake...

[Jay Schubert @ May 15th 2008 6:17PM]

LTE is still just a concept at this point. Comcast, Time Warner, Intel & Google are behind Wimax TODAY. Sprint has already lit up devices in test markets and the new Clearwire will be coming out in full force with a commercial launch this year. They will be selling wimax integrated devices for years before an LTE proof of concept can even happen.

The 4G format war will be decided the same way as any other - having a strong diverse group of brands in your corner and selling way more of your format first. Just because LTE would be easier for AT&T & Verizon to implement doesn't guarantee that it will even stand a chance against Wimax, which will have been the only game for 4G for years by the time LTE could be ready.

[Rusty @ May 15th 2008 6:49PM]

I got rid of Alltel about 7 years ago. In this area, we call them "Drop-tel" because they dropped so many calls. Been on the deathstar (at&t) ever since, no problem and nary a dropped call.

[Ivan @ May 15th 2008 6:56PM]

I am a huge fan of Alltel and my PPC 6800 phone (with a modded ROM to enable GPS/free internet sharing/lots of goodies). Their coverage in AZ (where I live), NJ (where my family lives), CA (where I recently vacationed), Washington State (another vacation) have all been nearly perfect. No roaming. Plus I brought my phone to Cancun and Rocky Point in Mexico and it worked like a charm on their North American Freedom plan. Rock on!

[dcny @ May 15th 2008 7:57PM]

Anyone know how large Alltel's network is without the roaming agreements.

[Ben @ May 15th 2008 8:11PM]

So that means next gen cdma phones are gonnna have to pack 3 radios in them?
1x is built for voice and EVDO carries data only and they are two separate radios. So now they add another radio thats not even cdma so that they will now have to carry 3 radios on board unless they switch to gsm.
Talk about clunky phones.

[FD @ May 15th 2008 11:23PM]

I am an employee of Alltel and I will say that many of these comments stem from rumors and speculation so let me try to help out some without being too subjective. Alltel can rightfully claim to be "America's Largest Network" based on the sheer footprint of its gross network coverage area (which includes its native towers plus those acquired via roaming agreements) It has nothing to do with My Circle. It may not have the largest customer base compared to the likes of AT&T, but like Stephen said, when you travel throughout the US, you are more likely to be on an Alltel tower, or one of its roaming affiliates, than any other network. But you must also keep in mind that Alltel hasn't been around as long as the other boys on the block. And yes, its true that Alltel does focus a great deal on rural areas and setting up infrastructure there because they will eventually find a way to move into the metro areas just like all the other companies, but there is far more red tape involved in those areas so it takes a lot longer. Additionally, Alltel has been in the process of removing every Analog tower from their systems, and when this process is complete around the end of this year, their largest network claims will still hold true.

Keep in mind that Alltel, like almost every other cellphone company, does not make the phones it sells. So if you get a phone that does not work the way it should, don't look solely to your carrier for retribution. Microsoft, HTC, and others have a big part in your end user experience and, especially in the realm of smartphones, your carrier may not be able to help you unless the manufacturer comes up with a solution for the product they made. And keep in mind that the type of phone you get can affect your reception dramatically. If you didnt already know this, go to any carrier and get an inexpensive phone, then grab say a Blackberry curve and test the difference. Now that's not to say that every expensive phone will pick up everywhere, but as a general rule, you get what you pay for. Oh and the reason why Alltel is sometimes slow to pickup the newest phones, has a lot to do with pure business sense. The big manufacturers are usually going to seed the carriers with the largest amount of customers first before they move down the line with their new phones.

And to clear another comment up, as Ashton said, yes you can use Alltel anywhere in the US and surrounding areas as long as we have coverage there, be it native or through a roaming agreement, regardless of whether there is a retail store in that area. Check out some cusotmer satisfaction survey results ragarding AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and Alltel and see why Alltel is consistantly rated higher. And regardless of the network, most customers do experience dropped calls, but only Alltel credits you back if you do drop a call. And lastly, except for the handfull of people using sattelite phones, all carrier's cellular devices operate off of line-of-sight communication to the nearest tower, so if you have reception problems, your surrounding terrain may be more to blame than your carrier. I hope some of this helps. I'm sure you can find thousands of people that hate their network and thousands who sing its praises, but ultimately there is no uber network, you just have to find what works the best in your area.

[rehs @ May 16th 2008 8:04PM]

So can I use an LG Glimmer in LA? Last time I checked Alltel had no coverage here.

[Omegablue14 @ May 16th 2008 12:53PM]

They are growing because or Chet and the amazing van wizard not some silly survey!