Verizon willing to shed 15 percent of Alltel base to make merger happen

You've got to give a little to get a little, as they say, and giant, multinational joint ventures apparently aren't exempt from the mantra. In buttering up the ladies and gentlemen of the FCC enough to approve the takeover of Alltel, Verizon Wireless has agreed to spin off 85 markets' worth of Alltel subscribers in 18 states, which tallies up to about 15 percent of its 13 million-strong base. The move is designed to preserve competition, particularly in rural areas where some customers could suddenly find themselves with just a single carrier in town with enough signal strength to get the job done. There's still no telling whether the FCC will ultimately approve the move -- it could demand additional concessions or strike it down outright -- but it's a start.

[Via Phone Scoop]

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2008 5:00PM]

where does the asset go?
ABSOLUTELY AT&T!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2008 9:25PM]

AT&T perhaps, but my guess is that if Sprint or US Cellular is available they will be the first likely candidates already being CDMA, but all in all it depends on all the other carriers market presence in that area and their ability to serve customers in that area.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2008 7:12PM]

If this happens I can only hope they let my girlfriend and her family get out of their 2-year contract.

[Rollins Posted Jul 28th 2008 9:31AM]

Hopefully the merger will happen, if only so those idiotic Alltel ads are wiped from the face of the earth.

[PeterFnet Posted Jul 28th 2008 10:51AM]

I'd love to see the fight when they merge the marketing teams.....

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 28th 2008 1:39PM]

I am a current Alltel customer. I will probably go with Sprint and get the Samsung Instinct when my contract permits.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 24th 2008 10:40PM]

I just LOVE Chad!!!
He is the Man!!!!