Alltell Cell Phone

Area Alltel customers still in limbo

One group of wireless phone customers in central and eastern Nebraska is finally out of limbo, but another group remains there.

Last week, AT&T finished migrating former Verizon Wireless customers in a 10-county area to its network. Some Alltel customers, including those in Columbus, are still waiting to become Verizon customers.

AT&T spokesman Alex Carey said all consumer customers were switched to AT&T by May 13, and a few remaining business customers switched as of Wednesday.

Last year, AT&T paid $2.35 billion for the assets Verizon was required to divest as part of its 2009 purchase of Alltel.

That included cell phone towers and an undisclosed number of subscribers.

Carey said the transition went smoothly, despite the fact Verizon and AT&T use different technology. The new AT&T customers received new handsets, and Verizon switched its towers to the technology AT&T uses before handing them over.

The area in Nebraska included Boone, Butler, Colfax, Dodge, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Saunders and Washington counties and was one of a handful of markets in which Verizon chose to divest its existing customers rather than the customers it was acquiring from Alltel.

The federal government required Verizon to divest more that 2 million customers in more than 100 markets nationwide to resolve anti-trust issues.

Most Alltel customers were integrated into Verizon immediately after the $28.1 billion sale closed in 2009, including those in Lincoln, Omaha and many other parts of the state. But the Alltel customers in the 10-county divestiture area still have not been switched to Verizon.

They continue to be Alltel customers, although Alltel has ceased to exist as a company.

That's led to frustration for some customers.

Mike Hybl, executive director of the Nebraska Public Service Commission, said the agency has received quite a few calls from people confused about the process.

"We've had a number of calls from folks with a whole range of general concerns," Hybl said.

The PSC has no jurisdiction over wireless companies, so he said the most it can do is try to direct people to the right company to get their questions answered.

Jody Gensler of Wahoo is among the frustrated.

Gensler said she got tired of waiting and looked into switching from Alltel to Verizon on her own.

She and her fiancé visited an Alltel store in Fremont and Verizon stores in Omaha and Lincoln, she said, and were told she could get out of her Alltel contract and switch to Verizon.

TE AC30 World Mode Mobile Hotspot Launches with Alltel Wireless ...

ZTE Corporation, a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, today announced the launch of the Alltel AC30 by ZTE Mobile Hotspot for Alltel Wireless. The device enables mobile customers to access the Internet via a secure 3G network connection. The Alltel AC30 by ZTE is an ideal solution for customers who work remotely for business or pleasure, as the portable, plug-and-play device easily connects to Alltel’s network. Users looking to increase productivity or provide Internet access to multiple parties will benefit from the hotspot’s capability to simultaneously connect up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices, including tablets, netbooks and gaming devices.

“ZTE sees a great opportunity in the U.S. market to bring consumers the types of well-made, affordable mobile devices we offer in other regions,” said Lixin Cheng, CEO, ZTE USA and President, North America Region, ZTE. “With the introduction of the Alltel AC30 by ZTE, we are continuing to build our reputation for delivering accessible devices to the U.S. We’re pleased to partner with Alltel on this new solution that will help their customers stay connected to their essential devices on the road or at home.

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