Alltel adds Axcess to offerings in local market

Alltel, which provides communication services to more than 300,000 customers in Missouri, is enhancing its wireless data services by offering Axcess, which unifies the company's complete range of wireless Internet, e-mail, text messaging, picture sharing and games in one suite of products, according to a company release.

"Axcess continues Alltel's tradition of bringing innovative services to customers in an easy-to-use format," said Dan Phee, vice president and general manager for Alltel's Missouri wireless operation, which has its state headquarters in Springfield. "Listening to our customers, we developed Axcess to better connect them to the value and convenience of services like text messaging, wireless Web and the ever-growing list of wireless applications.

Alltel will continue developing the Axcess suite of services to best fit each customer's needs, from the business traveler who needs immediate e-mail access to the customer who wants to have fun and play games."

Services, offerings

Axcess services can be added to any Alltel digital rate plan.

Prices vary depending on the Axcess service selected.

Alltel offers a variety of digital handsets, including some with a color screen, further enhancing applications like photo sharing and games like SEGA Snowboarding.

Organization

Axcess organizes Alltel's data services into four main categories:

People: services like wireless e-mail and text messaging;

Info: services like wireless Internet and customizable news, sports, weather and stock alerts;

Tools: services such as a calendar, planner and other office applications; and

Fun: games that can be downloaded for play anytime on a handset, and ring tones that can be used to signal incoming calls or text messages.

Alltel has more than 12 million communications customers and more than $7.7 billion in revenues.

The company has communications customers in 26 states and provides information services to telecommunications, financial and mortgage clients in more than 50 countries.