HUGE WIRELESS PHONE DEAL WILL AFFECT REGION

(06/06/2008)

There's a huge deal in the wireless phone world. Verizon Wireless is buying Alltel for nearly $6 billion dollars. The purchase would make Verizon Wireless the largest cellular carrier in the U.S. The deal affects providers in Calhoun and regional counties. Much of the region is plagued by dead spots or lack of cell phone service, with few improvements made over the past several years. Verizon Wireless would take on more than $22 billion dollars in debt, bringing the total value of the deal to $28 billion dollars. Alltel has 13 million subscribers in 34 states, mostly in rural areas like West Virginia. Added to Verizon Wireless' 67 million subscribers, the size of the combined company would exceeded that of AT&T. The deal will face scrutiny by the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, but analysts expect it to pass.

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