ALLTEL Brings 'Total Freedom' to Digital Wireless; National Plans Offer Competitive, Flat-Rate Pricing Anywhere in U.S.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark., April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Beginning this weekend, ALLTEL (NYSE: AT) will offer customers in its Southwest Region digital markets national wireless rate plans that eliminate all roaming and long-distance charges.
Named ALLTEL Total Freedom, these plans will be introduced in the remainder of ALLTEL's digital markets by mid-year. ALLTEL's Total Freedom coverage area will include all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
In the first phase of the rollout plan, ALLTEL customers in Arizona, parts of New Mexico and West Texas, will be able to call from anywhere, to anywhere, in the United States for the price of a local call. The company will offer a variety of rate plans competitive with current national plans of other carriers.
ALLTEL recently added the Southwest markets of Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, Texas and Albuquerque, N.M., plus other cities, to its existing markets in 25 states through a transaction with Bell Atlantic and GTE. Until a brand name change to ALLTEL later this year, the Southwest Region will market the plan under the Cellular One brand.
As part of that transaction, ALLTEL agreed to a national roaming agreement with Bell Atlantic/GTE and Vodafone AirTouch.
Kevin Beebe, ALLTEL communications group president, said the plan "sends a strong signal that ALLTEL will give its customers the most competitive rates available in the wireless industry.
"By launching this service we are able to leverage our on-network costs for off-network traffic."
ALLTEL will initially offer five national roaming plans ranging from 200 to 1,500 minutes of usage per month. The plans will cost from $40 to $150 monthly.
Customers of ALLTEL's Total Freedom plans will utilize code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, which offer enhanced call clarity and features.
To take advantage of the entire national roaming area, ALLTEL will offer these services on digital, dual-mode and tri-mode wireless phones. These digital phones access analog networks when necessary and ensure access to the networks of ALLTEL's roaming partners when appropriate, Beebe said.
ALLTEL, with more than 9 million communications customers, $6.5 billion in annual revenues and 24,000 employees, is a leader in the communications and information services industries. ALLTEL has communications customers in 25 states and provides information services to telecommunications, financial and mortgage clients in 55 countries and territories.
For additional information contact:
George Smith 501-905-8117
Vice President - Media Services
george.s.smith@alltel.com
Kerry Brooks 501-905-8991
Vice President - Investor Relations
kerry.brooks@alltel.com
SOURCE ALLTEL
/CONTACT: George Smith, Vice President - Media Services, 501-905-8117, or
email, george.s.smith@alltel.com, or Kerry Brooks, Vice President - Investor
Relations, 501-905-8991, or email, kerry.brooks@alltel.com, both of ALLTEL/
/Photo: NewsCom: newscom.com
PRN Photo Desk, 888-776-6555 or 201-369-3467/
/Web site: alltel.com
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In DAF005, ALLTEL (NYSE: AT) Brings 'Total Freedom' to Digital Wireless, moved earlier today, we are advised by the company that the last graph, first line, should read "$6.5 billion in annual revenues" rather than "$6.5 million in annual revenues" as originally issued.
/PRNewswire -- April 28/
/Photo: NewsCom: newscom.com
PRN Photo Desk, 888-776-6555 or 201-369-3467/
/Web site: alltel.com /
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