Verizon enters into sale agreement for remaining 26 divested Alltel markets
Pending regulatory approval, Verizon Wireless has agreed to sell the remaining 26 divested Alltel markets to Massachusetts-based Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. The companies have entered into a definitive agreement for Alltel properties located in Idaho, Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, and approximately 800,000 Alltel customers will be affected should the sale be approved. The big side story here — following the recent agreement with AT&T, each of the 105 divested markets now has a potential buyer. Hit the jump for the full text of a memo sent to all Alltel employees in divested markets from the Management Trust currently operating said markets.
As you know, when Verizon Wireless purchased Alltel on January 9, 2009, you became part of a Management Trust set up to operate former Alltel CMA that would not become part of Verizon Wireless. During the past few weeks, many of you have asked about the potential sale of those properties that AT&T does not intend to acquire.
Today, I have news to share on that front. Verizon Wireless has entered into a definitive agreement with Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. to sell properties in 26 CMA currently being operated by the Trust. These include over 800,000 Alltel customers in the following states: Idaho, Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
Verizon Wireless’ sale of the properties to Atlantic Tele-Network is subject to regulatory review and approval by the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission. Atlantic Tele-Network, headquartered in Salem, MA, currently provides telecommunications services in the United States, Guyana, Bermuda, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos. One of the company’s principal subsidiaries is Commnet Wireless, LLC, which provides voice and data wireless roaming services for U.S. and International carriers, including Verizon Wireless, in rural areas throughout the United States. Commnet Wireless works in partnership with national and regional wireless operators to offer highly-reliable, feature-rich coverage in a variety of technical environments. They currently manage wireless networks in 14 states and operate networks with CDMA, GSM/GPRS & EDGE technologies in both the 850 MHz & 1900 MHz bands.
With the signing of this agreement, Verizon Wireless now has a potential buyer for all 105 CMA in the Trust. Verizon Wireless signed a definitive agreement with AT&T last month to sell properties in 79 CMA not included in today’s announcement. That sale also is subject to regulatory approval.
What does this news mean for you? For now, it’s business as usual for all Trust employees. We will continue to serve our customers and compete in the marketplace as vigorously as we have since the Trust was created. Essentially, the Trust will continue to operate during the regulatory review and approval process, and our jobs and responsibilities will remain the same.
Since the regulatory process will take time, it will be a few months before we learn if and when the transaction will close. In the meantime, we will provide updates as information becomes available.
Thank you for all your efforts and your patience during this process.
Does this mean we will see an end to those Alltel conmercials once and for all??? I though we were done with them last year but they are still on even today. They are awful!
I have a couple friends that worked at Alltel and now work at Verizon. They said the transaction has been very smooth.
Hopefully we can say the same for the divested areas too.
I hope tahr with the new merger all those employees are able to keep their jobs. I’d hate to see them end up with the same fate as those Circuit City employees.
Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone).
Oopps meant to say that not thar.
Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone).
Yeah only three counties are being divest by Verizon Wireless out of whole counties to AT&T in Montana. I’m in the map. Find out more about your area…
The Map
https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/attachments/attachmentViewRD.jsp;ATTACHMENTS=J26HKnhTfTfMStr2xPtnNXvNPR3Sl60hV4P2GLQnJs6HTqpDzydJ!1860515942!-2010381615?applType=search&fileKey=404281533&attachmentKey=18404874&attachmentInd=applAttach
or In Dark/Red area where divested by AT&T and In Light Blue divested by Verizon
http://cellularmap.net/vzw/vzw+alltel.shtml
I work for the divested part of Alltel. Our company is now smaller than Cricket! Cricket employees get paid poorly and only make commission off of accessories. I hope there is at least a severance package in place. (I don’t count on it) Hello welfare line…
bye bye chad, at least I wont be taking anymore annual pay cuts to pay your salary!
Is that so?
I am gay
Has anyone noticed the Verizon guy (red shirt, curly red hair) isn’t in the Alltel commercials with Chad anymore?
I wish this thing would hurry up an go thru. I have a Verizon phone that i am itching to use on my (for the time being) alltel account!
I “heard” that ATN does not have national calling plan feature like alltel. So their may be options to get out of a contract if one currently has this feature package with Alltel now. I would do it in a heart beat.
As a former Verizon wireless employee of 13 years as of the 8th of September I can testifiy that it was also the reverse. I was let go and Alltel employee’s were kept that came from other stores. I was very taken back by this change and I did not understand how they could take an experienced pro and do that. The package they gave me when they let me go was very good, but the management decision’s are going down hill. The company is getting great profits and at the same time they are cutting employee’s left and right.It sound more like book keepers are calling the shots. As my friend Jerry Clower said “you are educated beyond your intelligence!” You don’t cut back employees when you are controlling 28% of the communications business in the U.S.
Here in a few counties of southeast Georgia, Verizon has had to sell of or divest several Alltel stores here. Atlantic-Tele-Network has purchased those stores, but as Verizon also bought the Alltel name, these stores will soon become Atlantic Wireless. I work with a lady whose husband is an Asst. Mgr. with Alltel. From what she has relayed to me is an agreement was made so that Alltel can use Verizon towers for 3 years. ATN will have to get there towers in place by then. The Cell plans that Alltel are offering are priced better than AT&T or Verizon. I am currently with AT&T, and have considered moving to the divested Alltel, but will continue to wait and see what happens after the name change and see if they grow Nationwide. The name change probaly will not take place until early 2010.Bottom line Cell companies use each others towers.