Alltel the largest rural mobile operator in the U. S. is rumored to be up for sale. Possible buyer is Verizon. This would be a $28 million deal. Verizon is a predominate provider in the Piedmont area of Virginia.
Reported by cnet.com
The rumor du jour is that Alltel, the largest rural mobile operator in the U.S., is up for sale. But at least two experts are split over whether the company widely mentioned as the likely buyer, Verizon Wireless, is the most logical suitor.
Rumors about a Verizon-Alltel marriage are nothing new. Two years ago, Wall Street was buzzing that the two might hook up. The rumor mill got churning again last week when Alltel executives said during the company's fourth-quarter conference call they were exploring several strategic "options." Analysts and investors on Wall Street have taken this to mean that the board of directors is looking to sell the company.
Verizon Wireless could be the most logical competitor to buy Alltel because the two companies both use the CDMA (code division multiple access) cellular technology. Sprint Nextel also uses CDMA, but many on Wall Street believe that Sprint is saddled with its own problems integrating Nextel's network. T-Mobile and AT&T's Cingular Wireless are unlikely candidates, because their networks are built using a different technology called GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications).
