Quote:
Originally Posted by manofhonor24
Also alltel was bough in 2007 by private partners, and they have made it very known they were trying to sell their company since then. Plus alltel is not a major player at all. They are not even a nationwide carrier. They roam off of Verizon's Network, just like Sprint does, in areas that they don't have towers for their customers.
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Lets start at where you are right. Alltel is really not a major carrier. Just the 5th largest in the country. (as Cingular and ATT are the same now.) Adding number 2 Verizon and number 5 Alltel beats number 1 ATT for the number one spot in the country.
Alltel actually OWNs the largest network in the country, but its mostly in rural areas, as in not in major citys. As most people live in or very close to major citys, they have to roam to get service. And as there is more land to cover that does not include citys they have more LAND covered.
Over the past 6 to 8 years they have been buying up all the small companies around the US increasing their coverage. They didn't get big until Verizon tried to buy up another CDMA company (don't remember who) and wasn't aloud to by the FCC because they had to many towers over lapping. Alltel said we will buy the others you can't and share all the towers. So they did. (that agreement is up now).
I stop roaming if I drive 35 min south or 60 west or 45 north 30 min east puts me in Canada. But as I said I stop roaming using a real Alltel tower when I can do *228 and update my PRL OTA. I drove from Detroit MI to Seattle WA and from what I remember was roaming in or near major citys but not over land that didn't have much. I still had good coverage in the mountains not roaming. Mt Pleasant, Battle Creek, Lansing, and North of Flint depending on your pocket you should not be roaming at all, Except for Mackinaw just below the Bridge. In the Upper Pen, is where I first found Alltel and you wont Roam up there at all. Those are just the areas I know for sure.
I can't remember where I read this (right when it was announced Verizon bought Alltel), but Alltel was trying to get more market, and were secretly trying to buy major company's like Sprint and Verizon (not sure how that was ever going to happen, and sounds crazy to me), and actually after trying to buy Verizon a few times Verizon came back and said we want to buy you, and then they did. I think it was the interview I read with Alltel CEO talking about Verizon buying them. He slipped up and mentioned something about it and then didn't deny it when asked directly.
Oh and I don't roam off Verizon network, I Roam off of Sprints.
