AT&T to Boost Coverage in Rural Areas with $780M Alltel Acquisition
There was a bit of Alltel left over after the Verizon Wireless acquisition back in 2009, and now AT&T is gobbling up the rest. AT&T announced that it will purchase Alltel and its licenses, network assets, retail outlets, and subscribers (such as they are, at 585,000 people) for $780 million.
Alltel operates in Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, and South Carolina, covering mostly rural areas on the 700MHz, 850MHz, and 1900MHz bands. For AT&T, this means expanded coverage for its users in areas with a total of 4.6 million potential customers.

Alltel HQ
The deal, of course, must be approved by the FCC and Department of Justice before it goes through; assuming there are no regulatory hiccups to deal with, the process is expected to be complete in the second half of this year.
Alltel operates in Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, and South Carolina, covering mostly rural areas on the 700MHz, 850MHz, and 1900MHz bands. For AT&T, this means expanded coverage for its users in areas with a total of 4.6 million potential customers.
Alltel HQ
The deal, of course, must be approved by the FCC and Department of Justice before it goes through; assuming there are no regulatory hiccups to deal with, the process is expected to be complete in the second half of this year.