alltel
Latest
Verizon changing some plan names, gets Alltel in-network calling
We've been able to independently verify Boy Genius Report's claim that Verizon will be changing the name of IN Calling to the simpler "Mobile to Mobile" (and we can also kick in that INpulse will become just "Prepaid") on February 15. That alone isn't terribly awesome, but more importantly, Alltel numbers are now included as in-network calls for Verizon customers. Alltel customers, meanwhile, have to wait for the merger to complete. Sorry, folks!And here's a little something for the data fiends: the venerable BroadbandAccess laptop plan becomes Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband (there's a mouthful for you) this coming Monday. That's an incredible upgrade from four to ten syllables, so we should all be thanking our lucky stars for that.
Verizon Wireless closes Alltel acquisition, lays out path forward
Welp, that's that. But not really, because acquiring a company as big as Alltel and shoving it into a company as gigantic as Verizon Wireless simply can't be easy. To that end, VZW has issued a release that details the steps forward now that the deal itself is closed. For starters, Alltel employees below executive level will continue in their present jobs as Verizon Wireless assesses staffing needs, and Verizon intends to re-brand Alltel operations in retained markets (read: the ones not divested by force) in phases, beginning in the second quarter and continuing through the third quarter of 2009." As for Alltel subscribers, they won't need to take any action at this time, with everything in their current plan -- My Circle included -- remaining the same throughout the transition period. If you're interested in the rest (we're looking at you, loyal Alltel user), hop on down to the read link.[Via phonescoop]
Verizon completes Alltel acquisition, now covers 83.7 million customers as nation's largest wireless network
As promised, Verizon and Alltel tied the knot today, in a $5.9 billion acquisition, plus $22.9 billion of Alltel debt. Combined they form the nation's largest wireless carrier, with 83.7 customers (12.9 of those from the Alltel fold). For the time being, Alltel customers can sit tight and continue to use their devices and service plans as usual, with re-branding operations to happen Q2 and Q3 of 2009.
Verizon and Alltel to join in holy matrimony January 9th
Following a good half year of courtship while the regulatory miscellany ran its course, Verizon's finally ready to take the plunge and call this $5.9 billion deal done. The combined juggernaut will amass a staggering 78 million subscribers, putting it roughly 3 million ahead of its closest rival, AT&T, though it'll do so at the cost of assuming some $22.9 billion in Alltel debt. Ultimately, the merger means some positions at Alltel headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas will get axed -- but hey, AT&T Mobility HQ's just a stone's throw away in Atlanta, so Verizon's headcount loss could ultimately be AT&T's gain.[Via Phone Scoop]
FTC clears Verizon acquisition of Alltel, last hurdle crossed
It's already made it past the Department of Justice and the FCC after making a few concessions, and Verizon has now cleared the last major hurdle blocking its acquisition of Alltel, with the Federal Trade Commission today giving the deal its all-important stamp of approval. Unlike the other regulatory agencies, the FTC apparently didn't require that Verizon make any further concessions, and instead simply approved an early termination of their antitrust review and indicated that they had "no objections." For those keeping track, the deal easily pushes Verizon past AT&T to become the largest wireless carrier in the United States and, as we have heard, it'll also likely have the side effect of some job cuts from the Alltel benches.[Via RCR Wireless]
Alltel Perks delivers spam straight to your home screen
Lil' Verizon Alltel has launched its Alltel Perks service, an free app downloadable from the carrier's deck that will automatically deliver "offers and content" to a phone's home screen while the phone is not in use. Real-time, localized coupons appear to be a big push for the system, using the subscriber's zip code, age, gender, and the time of day and day of week to determine what sorts of V1@GR@ deals users will receive. Once a deal hits the handset, it's stored for a little while in a "Recent Offer" menu to make sure you have accessed to the stuff you missed while your phone was tucked away in your pocket. And yes -- fortunately, the service is free.
Alltel releases the HTC Touch Pro
Alright T-Mobile, seriously, how can you charge $299.99 for a Wing on contract with a straight face (do carriers have faces?) while every single one of your competitors is rocking a device that's essentially two generations fresher for the same price? Alltel becomes the latest to add HTC's quintessential WinMo QWERTY smartphone to its stable, charging $279.99 for the privilege of adding a Touch Pro to your account on contract after $100 rebate. From the looks of things, it's basically Sprint's version with a tweaked version of the TouchFLO 3D UI that's either prettier or uglier than the stock build, depending on your point of view. Let's be honest, though: doesn't everything look good in VGA resolution?[Thanks, theups]
Samsung Hue II carries on Hue's time-honored tradition on Alltel
There's not a dry eye in the house now as the junior Hue goes out into the world, ready to pick up where its colorful parent left off. Like its predecessor, the Hue II has five interchangeable faceplates available -- blue, gray, purple, green, and white -- with blue and gray bundled in the box. It ups the Hue's ante by moving from a 1.3- to a 2-megapixel cam and offers stereo Bluetooth, microSD expansion to 8GB, navigation, and a price that's just $10 higher on contract -- $39.99 when purchased online. It's available now.
HTC Touch Diamond pops official on Alltel's site
The long, agonizing wait for Alltel to come clean with this gem is over. Starting today, subscribers can phone up the carrier with questions about the Touch Diamond and receive a response other than "Whatcha talkin' 'bout Willis?" 'Course, it's no shock whatsoever to see this Windows Mobile 6.1-based handset surface on the soon-to-be-Verizon's network, but those who've been waiting patiently will be utterly stoked to know that you can now plop down $249.99 (after all rebates and a 2-year agreement) in order to take one home.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
LG Swift clamshell launches for $49.99 on Alltel
So, you're looking for simplicity, huh? Have a gander at the LG Swift, which is now available on Alltel Wireless for those with the most basic of needs. The clamshell boasts a "next-generation keypad featuring Fastap Press-to-Experience keys, which integrates six raised one-touch access Quick Keys with a traditional numeric keypad," and beyond that, it also offers up external music control buttons, twin speakers, Bluetooth support, a 1.3-megapixel camera, one-touch speakerphone and a memory card slot. Sadly, the headphone jack is of the 2.5-millimeter variety, though you can choose between red and blue color schemes. If you're sold already, all's that left to do is hand over your $49.99 and agree to being locked in for two solid years.
Samsung's winter lineup for the US gets dolled up for the camera
We know about most of these handsets, but it's always fun to get a few final views before they're officially announced and made available, isn't it? phoneArena has what must be the complete (or close to it) lineup from Samsung for the US market in the next few months all in one place, showing the a777 and a867 Eternity for AT&T, the Behold for T-Mobile, and the i770 Saga, i910 Omnia, and u810 Reknown for Verizon. New here is the R600 Hue II for Alltel, a boring-ass little flip that should be available in a handful of colors. There are a couple goodies in here -- the a867, i770, and i910 should all get some blood flowing, depending on how you roll. Which one's your favorite?
FCC approves Verizon's Alltel buy, deal all but done
Following the DOJ's approval last week, the FCC has voted unanimously today to approve Verizon's acquisition of Alltel, promising to create a CDMA network of insane proportions that'll eclipse AT&T to become the US' largest wireless carrier. Like their fellow feds over at the DOJ, the FCC guys attached some conditions to the approval, including a requirement that Verizon continue to honor Alltel's existing roaming agreements for four years -- presumably in an effort to protect and appease rural carriers who've been solidly against the merger all along. This'll almost certainly lead to some job losses in the Alltel camp, but look on the bright side, guys: you just might have a crack at that wild LG VX9600 now.[Via Phone Scoop]
Deutsche Telekom found to own too much of T-Mobile USA, paperwork likely in order
Tsk, tsk, Deutsche Telekom -- there you go making trouble again. After the FCC took a good, hard look at the prospective Verizon-Alltel merger, it also took a peek at foreign-controlled assets in other wireless phone companies. What it found was that Deutsche Telekom AG actually owns 10% more than the US legal limit of T-Mobile USA; as it stands, DT has a "30%, non-controlling interest in a common carrier license," while the limit here for such a scenario is 20%. The company has 30 days to respond with how it plans to come into compliance, but reports are suggesting that simple reshuffling / paperwork could probably clear things up. If only life were so easy for the rest of us, huh?[Via phonescoop]
Department of Justice approves Verizon's Alltel acquisition, requires more concessions
The suits at the Department of Justice just green-lighted Verizon's planned acquisition of regional rival Alltel, moving the two CDMA giants closer to a marriage that would easily eclipse AT&T to become the largest wireless carrier in North America. There's a catch, though, and a rather hefty one at that -- Verizon has to agree to divest itself of some 100 local markets in 22 states to keep the competitive landscape in action; given that they've already indicated a willingness to shed some markets to seal the deal, it probably won't be an issue. The next hurdle for Vertel (or Allzon, depending on how you roll) will come on November 4, when the FCC votes on whether it'll bless the deal. As for the rumors that Verizon is now eligible to get Alltel at a 50 percent discount with a $1 billion mail-in rebate if it agrees to a two-year contract, we're not hearing any comment from either side.
Samsung Delve intros US market to TouchWiz by way of Alltel
As we'd previously heard, the Delve will be the first handset officially released in the US to feature Samsung's widget-based TouchWiz technology, courtesy of Alltel -- and while we sorta wish it was the Windows Mobile version, this is about as deluxe as a dumbphone UI gets. The glossy bar of pure, keyboardless touchscreen action will go for $199.99 on contract after a $100 rebate when it's available on November 6 and features a 3.5mm headphone jack, support for Alltel Navigation, microSD expansion, and a 2-megapixel cam with video capture. It also bundles nuTsie at no charge, giving buyers access to their iTunes playlists -- a direct shot at the iPhone from a handset clearly in the same vein. You might even say the Delve "delves" into iTunes. Sorry.
Touch Diamond release on Alltel looks imminent
It hasn't been officially put up for sale just yet, but a handful of lucky Alltel types have already managed to land branded Touch Diamonds as evidenced by a full-on unboxing that has recently surfaced on HoFo. For all practical purposes, it looks identical to Sprint's version, albeit with a different branded TouchFLO skin that could be perceived as less annoying if you hate that splash of Sprint yellow or more annoying if you prefer the dark look. At any rate, can't be long now, guys.[Thanks, Jeff E.]
Alltel shows its love for smooth jazz, oldies with LG Rhythm
We're always pleasantly surprised to see a carrier beat the rumored release date for a phone, and that's certainly happened here with the LG Rhythm, a phone we'd heard would bow in the middle of next month. The trick slider features a secondary touch-sensitive display in the center of the d-pad -- not a feature you see every day -- and has an integrated FM transmitter, 3.5mm headphone jack, 1.3-megapixel camera, microSD expansion, and a graphic equalizer personally tuned by none other than Mark Levinson himself, making this one hell of a little music phone. It launches today in black and white for $119.99 after rebate on contract.Read - Rhythm (white)Read - Rhythm (black)
US Cellular getting LG Rhythm: think Chocolate with a cyclops eye (updated)
We've learned that mega-regional US Cellular has its sights set on an LG slider apparently dubbed the UX585 "Rhythm" for a mid-November launch, featuring a 1.3-megapixel camera, FM transmitter a la Nokia N78 and LG Muziq, and an honest-to-goodness mechanical wheel -- a key feature for a phone touting a music slant. The theme doesn't stop there, though: the Rhythm is also said to benefit from tweaking by Mark Levinson's loving ears, a QVGA display, and something being called a "Touch Music Hot Key," a trick-looking circular touchscreen in the middle of the wheel. Yeah, these guys might be a little behind the Chocolate curve here, but at least they're coming out swinging. Look for it to run $129.95 featuring a $50 rebate for customers signing up for a data plan for at least three months.[Thanks, USCCGuy]Updated: Turns out Alltel snuck this out onto the market just this week in black and white as the AX585, and seeing how they're spelling it "Rhythm," we're updating the spelling for US Cellular's version, too (let's be honest -- "Rythm" would be an incredibly annoying trademarkable spelling for that word). Alltel's charging $119.99 on contract after rebates for the pleasure. Thanks, Jer!
FCC working to approve Sprint / Clearwire and Verizon / Alltel mergers by the end of the year
The FCC doesn't exactly have a track record of swiftness when it comes to reviewing mergers, but it looks like that little election thing might have lit a couple grey suits on fire -- FCC chairman Kevin Martin says that the agency is aiming to finish looking over the Sprint / Clearwire and Verizon / Alltel deals by the end of the year. That's right before a new administration takes over and potentially gums up the process, so we're guessing it'll be approvals all around, since rejecting the bids would result in some fun lawsuits for everyone, but we'll see how things shake out.
Alltel launches nuTsie to take iTunes mobile
We'd always taken nuTsie to be an indie app that was going to get most of its traction outside the surly bonds of a corporate partnership, but color us totally wrong. Alltel has announced that Melodeo's iTunes companion app is now available on eleven of its handsets (with more to come in the coming months), offering users of non-iTunes-friendly phones a creative way to get access to their playlists on the go. nuTsie works not by downloading your own tracks, but by matching the names of the songs in your playlists to those in its own database and loading the actual music from its servers -- that way, not only do you get access to your stuff, but also to friends' playlists and those cobbled together by nuTsie's own "experts." It'll run you $4.99 a month or $19.99 a year, and it's available now.
