Alltel

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Alltel
HeadquartersLittle Rock, Arkansas, United States
Key people
Allen M Schaffer, CEO
ProductsLandline, Wireless
Website[1] [Former official site]

Alltel was a

Atlantic Tele-Network for $780 million in cash.[3]

At its peak, Alltel operated a network in 34 states, with a wireless coverage footprint comprising the largest network in the United States by area. The company focused on small to medium size cities providing wireless services to residential and business customers in all 50 states through

Sprint
. These agreements gave Alltel customers access to nationwide service, while providing those carriers coverage in rural areas.

On June 5, 2008, Verizon Wireless announced it would acquire the majority of Alltel Wireless in a deal valued at $28.1 billion. The merger was approved by the Federal Communications Commission on the condition that Verizon divest 105 Alltel markets. On May 8, 2009, AT&T announced it would acquire 79 of the divested wireless properties, including licenses, network assets, and 1.5 million current subscribers, primarily in rural areas across 18 states.[4]

On April 26, 2010, Atlantic Tele-Network acquired the remaining 26 divested Alltel markets, including licenses, network assets and 800,000 subscribers.[5] These remaining markets continued to be operated by Allied Wireless, a subsidiary of ATN, under the Alltel name.[6] On September 20, 2013, AT&T announced they had completed the acquisition of Alltel from Atlantic Tele-Network. AT&T immediately began plans to upgrade the former Alltel network and to move customers to the AT&T network by midyear 2014.[7] The transition completed in February 2015 with all Alltel customers becoming a part of the AT&T network. In early 2016, AT&T dissolved Alltel Wireless.

History

In 1943, the Allied Telephone Company, a small business specializing in installing telephone poles and cabling for telephone companies across Arkansas, was founded by Charles Miller and Hugh Willbourn, Jr. In 1945, they opened a storefront in the Hillcrest district of Little Rock. The business sold electrical appliances in the front of the building, and the company enabled Wilbourn and Miller to buy telephone equipment wholesale.

Alltel's modern history begins in 1983 when Allied Telephone and Mid-Continent Telephone merged. Mid-Continent Telephone was originally a theatre company and started in 1931 by Eddie Ruben and Joe L. Floyd in Minnesota. In 1985, Alltel launched its first wireless system in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1993, Alltel opened its first wireless retail store. In 1997, the company's wireless and wireline businesses were combined into a single organization.

On December 9, 2005, Alltel announced that it would become a wireless-only company, simultaneously merging and building a spin-off company for its wireline services.

Windstream Communications on April 10, 2006. The merger-spinoff process ended July 17, 2006 when Windstream began operations.[9]

Alltel's old logo (prior to 2005)

On May 20, 2007, Alltel announced an agreement to be sold to two private-equity firms: TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners. Under the deal, the two firms paid $71.50 a share in cash, or $27.5 billion, a 10% premium over Alltel's May 18, 2007 closing price.[10]

Mergers and acquisitions

1990

  • Fidelity National Information Services
    .

1997

  • Standard Group, Inc. (Cornelia, Georgia) – merger adds more than 71,000 local telephone lines
  • Aliant Communications (Lincoln, Nebraska) – $1.8 billion merger
  • Liberty Cellular (Kansas) – $600 million merger

1998

  • 360 Communications (Illinois) – wireless properties and assets, merger adds 2.6 million customers in 15 states

2000

2002

  • Kentucky ALLTEL
    )
  • CenturyTel
    – $1.5 billion, 700,000 wireless customers

2003

2005

2006

  • First Cellular of Southern Illinois (Illinois) – Alltel purchased First Cellular for $14-15 million in cash.
  • Palmetto MobileNet, L.P. (North Carolina) (South Carolina) – Alltel purchased from Palmetto MobileNet, L.P. wireless partnerships that cover approximately 2.3 million people in North and South Carolina. Alltel already managed and owned 50 percent of each of the 10 partnerships and has purchased the remaining interests from Palmetto. The partnerships include 34 counties across South Carolina and seven counties in Western North Carolina.
  • Midwest Wireless (Minnesota) – Alltel purchased Midwest Wireless for $1.083 billion in cash, adding 433,000 wireless customers
  • In Summer 2006 Alltel's Simple Freedom Wireless, customers were migrated in non-Alltel markets. (see article below)

2007

2008

  • Verizon Wireless announced to acquire Alltel from TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners for $28.1 billion.
  • Verizon Wireless
    . Terms were not disclosed.

2009

  • Verizon Wireless closes merger on January 9.
  • AT&T announces acquisition of 79 of the 105 divested markets.
  • Atlantic Tele-Network announces acquisition of the remaining 26 divested markets.

2010

2013

  • AT&T Mobility completes acquisition of AWCC/Alltel from ATNI on September 30.

2016

Executive team (after ATN acquisition)

  • President and CEO, Frank O'Mara
  • Chief Financial Officer, Brian Taylor
  • Chief Administrative Officer, Wade McGill
  • Chief Marketing Officer, Lesa Handly
  • Chief Information Officer, Lewis Langston

Executive team (after AT&T acquisition)

  • Area Vice President for Acquired Markets, Ramon P. Carroll
  • Chief Marketing and Sales Officer, Lesa Handly

Wireless network technology

Alltel's networks consisted of analog and digital systems operating primarily on the 850 MHz (3GPP2 Band Class 0) cellular band, much like

LTE
.

Wireless network coverage

There were Alltel-owned and -operated networks in parts of 6

Verizon and Sprint
until the completion of the migration of all customers to the AT&T network.

Handset and technical specifics

Wireless services

  • Alltel Family Finder: Similar to Verizon Wireless's "Family Locator" service, Alltel offered a service dubbed Alltel Family Finder where users on family plans could download software to their children's phones and use GPS technology to acquire real-time location information either directly on their phone or on the computer. Users could also set up scheduled, automatic notifications of their child's location at set times, or use on-demand location checks to display the child's location on an interactive map.
  • My Circle
    , launched on April 20, 2006, was a feature offered by Alltel Wireless that enabled customers to make and receive unlimited free calls to and from different phone numbers, including landlines. Initially, "My Circle" gave customers 10 different numbers per account. Customers were later given a choice of how many circle numbers they get (1, 5, 10, 15 or 20) based on the cost of their rate plan. On April 22, 2008, Alltel announced that all customers celebrating their second anniversary with "My Circle" would automatically receive one free "bonus" number added to their "My Circle" plan. In addition, on every second subsequent anniversary on an eligible "My Circle" plan, another bonus number would be added at no additional cost. Verizon Wireless adopted a My Circle-like feature called Friends & Family in February 2009. As Alltel customers are integrated and converted to Verizon Wireless' billing system, My Circle is being converted to Friends & Family.
  • US Cellular
    , and other CDMA networks.
  • Alltel Wi-Fi, introduced on September 28, 2007,[15] provided laptop access to Wi-Fi hotspots in North and South America. Alltel Wi-Fi was available for purchase by anyone regardless of whether they reside in a traditional Alltel territory. Alltel also had bundled pricing of their 'Wireless Internet'[16] service and 'Wi-Fi',[17] allowing users to roam from one network to another on their laptop.
  • Alltel Voice2TXT, introduced on December 17, 2007, was a feature that was available on any Alltel Wireless SMS text message capable phone which quickly converted incoming voicemails to text messages in the customer's inbox.
  • PhotoCopter, introduced on April 16, 2008, was a feature that saved every camera phone picture customers' snap to their home computers and favorite web photo albums. PhotoCopter automatically transferred the taken picture to the PC.
  • Alltel Wi-Fi mobile hot spot launched July 7, 2011. This service allows customers to connect 5 devices for internet service at the same time.

Commercials

After Alltel's November 2004 announcement that

circle. A second commercial was set in a bowling alley. The third commercial took place in a court room, with the faces of the other carriers blurred.[22] In "The Century's Trial of the Century", Edward Maxwell Von Houten, attorney for the People Against My Circle Foundation, sued Chad for attempting to force people into calling circles.[23]

After that, Alltel started a series of commercials involving Chad, bragging about Alltel's service and using the theme music "

Rankin-Bass
Christmas specials.

The campaign included a

RAZRs as Christmas gifts to them. Since this service and advertising campaign started, other carriers started adding similar services. For example, T-Mobile introduced "My Faves" in the fall of 2006.[citation needed
]

In 2010, markets sold to Verizon Wireless aired a special commercial with both Chad and Paul Marcarelli as the real "Verizon Guy". Alltel and Chad produced a Christmas edition commercial later that year for remaining Alltel markets, featured at Longbranch Coffee House located in Carbondale, Illinois.

Sponsorships

Former structure naming rights

Racing Teams

NASCAR

References

  1. ^ "Alltel Wireless to Continue Service to Wireless Customers in portions of central Georgia". Cordele Dispatch. July 27, 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-01-17.
  2. ^ "Alltel Names Lives on in Allied Wireless". Talk Business. June 27, 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24.
  3. ^ "AT&T to Acquire Wireless Spectrum and Assets from Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc., Enhance Wireless Coverage in Rural Areas".
  4. ^ "AT&T Press Release Headlines & News from AT&T".
  5. ^ "Atlantic Tele-Network Completes Acquisition of Former Alltel Assets from Verizon Wireless". FierceWireless. Archived from the original on 2011-09-30.
  6. ^ "Alltel lives on in Allied Wireless". Arkansas Online. 2010-10-03.
  7. ^ "AT&T Completes Acquisition of Alltel Assets; Provides Third-Quarter Update on Strong Smartphone and U-verse Sales". AT&T.
  8. ^ "Alltel Spins Off Wireline Business and Merges It with VALOR, Creates New Rural-Focused Wireline Company" (Press release). Little Rock, AR: Alltel. December 9, 2005. Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  9. ^ "Alltel completes spinoff and merger of its wireline business with VALOR Communications" (Press release). Little Rock, AR: Alltel. July 17, 2006. Archived from the original on November 3, 2007. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  10. ^ "Goldman Sachs buys Alltel for $27.5 billion". Seattle Times. May 21, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-05-23.
  11. ^ Nystedt, Dan (2007-05-21). "Mobile provider Alltel agrees to $27.5B buyout". Computerworld. Archived from the original on 2007-10-14. Retrieved 2007-05-21.
  12. ^ "IR Services | Morningstar U.S". Ccbn.10kwizard.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-07. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  13. ^ Analog Sunset Information
  14. ^ "Alltel introduces new prepaid wireless service that's all about 'U'" (Press release). LITTLE ROCK, Ark: Alltel. January 30, 2005. Archived from the original on 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  15. ^ Alltel Wi-Fi[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ Internet Access
  17. ^ Internet Access
  18. ^ "ALLTEL Selects Campbell-Ewald to Handle Brand Advertising". Retrieved 2008-03-26.
  19. ^ a b Levere, Jane L. (August 7, 2007). "In Wireless Competition, Mockery Is the Latest Style". New York Times. p. C7.
  20. ^ a b Williams, Greg. "Chad's Circle". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on 2008-06-09. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
  21. ^ Belson, Ken (October 2, 2006). "Cellphone Carriers Focus Ads on Each Other". New York Times. p. C7.
  22. ^ "www.ringtoneshuffle.com". Retrieved 2008-03-26.
  23. ^ Lavallee, Andrew (August 3, 2006). "Alltel Spoofs Itself in Online Ads, But Not Everyone Gets the Joke". Wall Street Journal.
  24. ^ Couch, Steve (2008-03-27). "Hey! What happened to the Sprint guy?". The News-Herald.

External links

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