infoTECH News

[June 17, 2009]

Verizon begins merging services with Alltel

Jun 17, 2009 (Post-Bulletin - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- A new form of two-way calling recently dialed up Rochester.

Mobile phone giant Verizon Wireless is continuing its acquisition of Minnesota-based Alltel Corp. To help customers, Verizon and Alltel products and services are being sold at all Rochester stores under each brand.

That means the two Verizon stores, as well as the five Alltel locations, are dual retail sites until the end of the year, when the transition is expected to be complete.

"We are only doing this in markets that had both Alltel and Verizon stores. In Minnesota, that means Rochester, Red Wing, Owatonna, Faribault and Kasson," said Verizon spokeswoman Karen Smith.

That means Alltel customers in Austin need to wait until the transition is complete to port their numbers over to the Verizon network.

The dual-brand store change in Rochester provides Verizon customers more places to receive services, "but it really is designed to make it easier for Alltel customers going through the transition," Smith said.

Alltel customers do not need to switch to Verizon products or plans.

"You can keep your number. Your devices will still work with our network," Smith said. "You can choose to keep the same rate and have it grandfathered in." With seven stores and about 100 employees in Rochester, customers of Verizon/Alltel have more choices as to where to do business as well as additional products and options.

New gadgets Two new electronic widgets recently added are the Hewlett-Packard Mini 1151NR Netbook and the MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot.

The 2.4-pound HP Mini computer, with a 10-inch screen and an 80-gigabyte hard drive, is available for a special price with a two-year mobile broadband activation.

The MiFi device lets customers create a personal Wi-fi Internet "cloud" that serves up to five devices, such as notebooks, netbooks or gaming devices.

Q&A With all the changes that have taken place, and more to come, Verizon has been fielding a lot of questions from Alltel customers. Here are some: Will Alltel customers' wireless devices still work once the company is fully integrated with Verizon Wireless? Most Alltel customers' wireless devices will work on the Verizon Wireless network after conversion.

Fewer than 1 percent of Alltel customers may need to replace their phones for use on the Verizon network. These are older devices that do not contain a chipset required to receive over-the-air software changes.

If an Alltel customer's current device cannot receive over-the-air software changes, does the customer have to pay for a new device? In those cases, the phone will be replaced with a similar phone at no cost to the customer or the customer will receive a credit toward the purchase of a higher-priced phone.

Once the companies are fully integrated, can Alltel customers continue to use Alltel's My Circle plan? My Circle will continue to be available to Alltel customers while they are on Alltel price plans.

Do Alltel customers who choose to port their numbers to Verizon Wireless before the integration have to pay an early termination fee? Eligible Alltel customers who are within four months of their contract's end date will not have to pay an early termination fee.

To see more of the Post-Bulletin, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.postbulletin.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.

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