Alltel wireless customers in many rural areas in South Carolina and Georgia will sit in limbo until a buyer is found for their territory.
Verizon Wireless completed its $5.9 billion acquisition of rival Alltel on Friday, but through an agreement with the federal government Verizon did not acquire all of the overlapping areas.
About 2 million of Alltel's 12 million customers will not automatically switch to Verizon Wireless. As a condition of the merger approval, the Federal Communications Commission told Verizon that it had to sell off 105 of its overlapping network areas, including Burke County in Georgia, and Edgefield, Barnwell, Bamberg and Orangeburg counties in South Carolina.
"If they are interested in becoming a Verizon customer, then it is a normal process. They would have to port their number. They would have to come into one of our locations. It is just as though they were with another carrier," said Verizon spokeswoman Caran Smith.
But they are still beholden to their Alltel service contract and would pay the penalties for breaking it in order to find another wireless service, Ms. Smith said.
She said the divested territories are being managed by a trust until a buyer is found, but customers should not notice any changes to their service or calling plans.
The other 10.8 million Alltel customers nationwide will become Verizon Wireless customers as soon as the former competitor is integrated, some as soon as this spring, according to the company.
Customers' current service plans, prices and features, including My Circle, will remain the same throughout the transition, the company said in a written statement.
"Ultimately, the Alltel name will be retired," Ms. Smith said, which means the Alltel store locations will also be re-branded or closed.
Ms. Smith said it will take several months to implement a plan for its retail operations. Alltel stores will remain open during the transition.
Employees below executive level will continue in their jobs as Verizon assesses its staffing needs, the company reported.
Reach Tim Rausch at (706) 823-3352 or timothy.rausch@augustachronicle.com.
OVERLAP LIMBO
As a part of its acquisition of Alltel Corp., Verizon Wireless was required by the federal government to sell off 105 of the overlapping territories. Those areas will not be incorporated into Verizon's network and will be managed by an outside trust until a buyer is found.
Former Alltel service areas awaiting a buyer include:
South Carolina counties
- Edgefield
- McCormick
- Barnwell
Georgia counties
- Burke
- Jefferson
- Warren
Source: Verizon Wireless
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
This is about the worst thing that could happen to a lot of people, I know who I won't deal with in the future!!
Apparently CBBP you have no idea how this works, Verizon doesnt want to do it like this but have to because of the monopoly it would cause in those areas. Also Verizon has the best coverage now so good luck with paying your money for no service.
I wanna see the next altell commercial!!!
Alltel Customers - no service is most definitely a materially adverse change of contract and should void the contract. You should not have to pay an early termination fee (ETF). Do your research, read your contract, google ETF, check out consumerist.com
I wonder how long we will be able to keep our currant Alltel plan with the circle. I have 21 numbers in mine which makes my mine never go over even though we use 7000 minets with 5 phones. Currantly $270.00 per month. With Verizon it will jump to approximately $600.00
ww1949 are you serious? Do you realize thats about half of what some people get for retirement? Another way to look at is $3200 a year to call someone. BTW do you folks do anything but talk on the phone? Right now each phone is used almost 24 hours a month! Wow that ought to be a record.
Many folks,especially young people, don't even have a land line. It's all cellular.
What is the purpose of a land line anymore?
The purpose of a land line is to get internet services from a company that is not real big. In my case, it is TDS.
Landlines no longer serve ANY purpose. Only DSL even requires an active phone tap, but requires no voice service. WildBlue and HughesNet Satellite Internet service is available to those who are not serviced by DSL or Cable HSI, without the need for a phone line. Only Skyway internet requires a phone line, and it's very unstable and a waste of money. Virtually every residential install I do has no landline with no plans to add it. TDS in Williston's case is obviously Too Damn Stupid.
Wait until your electrical power goes out in a natural disaster, you will see what purpose a landline has.
Corgimom, 'splain that one to me.
In a power outage, a landline will still function with a regular phone (which doesn't require electrical to use, like a 2.5 Ghz wireless phone). Cell phones may continue to work, but only until the charge runs out. Then you have to find a way to recharge (like a car charger). This is of course assuming the telephone network structures are still in place (ie: the local exchange hasn't been destroyed or the telephones lines downed by wind).
Thanks, but I assumed most people have car chargers for their cell phones, plus most home phones now are cordless and as you say, they wouldn't work without power. But, hey, I have a land line phone too for my fax machine. To each his own.
VoIP FAX...VoIP Phone...2 Cell Carriers....Who needs a land line
ww1949, verizon to verizon calls do not count against your plan minutes, at least on some plans.
Verizon is THE most expensive wireless service out there. They charge exhorbinant rates for the least amount of minutres per month. Your unused minutes don't roll over to the next month (you just lose them, even though you paid dearly for them). Call Canada on verizon and you will be charged 50 cents a minute... highway robbery! I use one of the pre paid cell services. I have twice as many minutes per month and pay nearly half per month what I did with Verizon.
All circuits are busy.....please hang up and try your call again in the next millennnum!