Alltel stores, network begin conversion to Verizon

Evidence of Verizon Wireless' multibillion-dollar purchase of Alltel Corp. earlier this year is starting to show in the local market.

Basking Ridge, N.J.-based Verizon closed on its $28.1 billion purchase of Alltel in January and picked up 12.9 million customers, bringing its total customer count to about 80 million. The Verizon network now serves about 290 million people, which makes it the largest wireless carrier in the country.

Southwest Missouri has a high concentration of Alltel customers, largely because of its proximity to the Alltel headquarters in Little Rock, Ark., according to Brenda Hill, public relations manager for Verizon's Kansas/Missouri region. That means Springfield is near the top of the list for areas converting from the Alltel brand to Verizon.

Before the Alltel purchase, Verizon had a limited presence in the Springfield market, with one company-owned retail location, opened in spring 2008 at 1155 E. Battlefield Road, and product sales through some area dealers and Walmart stores.

A new look

This month, four Alltel-owned stores in Springfield began offering Verizon merchandise. Those stores, as well as those owned by third-party Alltel agents, will undergo complete remodels later this year, and officials are aiming to wrap up the transition in the fourth quarter, Hill said.

Battlefield-based Russell Cellular operates 105 Alltel stores in the Midwest and southern regions, and officials are scurrying to turn them into Verizon shops, according to Vice President of Operations Darin Wray.

"We're all very busy right now," Wray said. "Everything is changing, as far as the inside of the store goes and the equipment we'll be carrying."

On July 11, 65 southern Russell Cellular locations - including stores in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana - are scheduled to convert to Verizon. The stores are receiving new fixtures, paint, carpeting and signage, and they will feature Verizon's "evolution" store-design, which "takes the phones off the walls" and lets customers interact with them, Hill said.

The remaining Russell-owned stores in the Midwest area, including those in Missouri, Ohio and Illinois, will convert in September, Wray said.

Another eight or nine new stores also are being added to the Russell lineup, including locations in Joplin and Carthage that are scheduled to open by Aug. 1.

"That was an opportunity that came to us because of Verizon's coverage," Wray said. "Alltel didn't have representation in Joplin and Carthage, and Verizon has always had it there. They're going to let us go in there and open up."

Hill couldn't say whether any Alltel agent-run stores would be closed but said closures could happen if locations are determined to be redundant. Wray said all Russell Cellular stores were given the green light to stay in business; Davis Cellular also operates about 20 Alltel stores in Missouri and Arkansas, according to its Web site, but a company spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

If a store is closed, the employees could transfer to other locations. Verizon sets a minimum of nine employees for its stores, while Alltel had a minimum of six, so stores will have room for additional workers, Hill said.

Alltel also operates a call center at 3330 E. Montclair St. A spokeswoman for the center referred comment to Hill, who said there are no announcements yet on how that center will be transitioned to the Verizon portfolio.

Verizon, meanwhile, is busy changing the region's network to handle the new customer base.

Hill said Verizon technicians are changing the Alltel network to 3G, a network standard that supports higher data rates. They also are improving cell towers to operate longer on battery power when necessary.

Verizon's network will encompass a wider area with the addition of Alltel's cell sites, particularly in southwest Missouri's rural areas that Alltel covered but Verizon did not, Hill said.

Customer perspective

Alltel customers have a few other minimal changes headed their way.

Customers with Alltel contracts can keep them for the remainder of their terms without any alterations to their plans, pricing or devices. When those contracts end, customers can to sign Verizon contracts, which should carry very similar terms, Hill said.

Alltel's popular My Circle feature, for instance, will convert to Verizon's Friends & Family feature, which allows customers to select five or 10 out-of-network phone numbers to call without using plan minutes.

Eligible Alltel customers also have the option of ending their contracts up to four months before they're scheduled to end and converting to Verizon without incurring early termination fees.

Aside from the legalese of contracts and service plans, Alltel customers have the Verizon lineup of devices to look forward to.

"(Verizon has) a great product - their handset mix and the different kinds of cellular phones that will be available are deeper than Alltel's," Wray said. "We're excited to get our hands on the product."

The list includes the HP Mini, a small laptop device that costs under $200; the MiFi Intelligent Mobile Hotspot, a wireless card that creates an Internet zone; and - the product Wray says customers are most excited about - the BlackBerry Storm.

"You have some customers that may be a little apprehensive about what's changing," Wray said. "There's a lot of those questions that we're answering right now, but I think in general, the public's going to be thrilled."[[In-content Ad]]