| By :
Paul Wise
Alltel Cell Phones was simply a communications company known as Systematics Inc., in its early days. It was started by an Arkansas investor named Jackson T. Stephens. However it's the more modern history which we are concerned with as that is what deals with the Alltel Cell Phones and Unlocked Cell Phone, topics of which are of most concern in this article. Systematics, Inc., eventually became Alltel Information Services (AIS) and in 1990 360 Communications of Illinois merged with AIS, adding 2.6 million customers in 15 states. In 1993, Alltel opened its first retail store and in 1997 the company's wireless and wireline businesses were combined into a single organization. That same year, Alltel Cell Phones had three major mergers. The first merger was with Standard Group Inc., based in Cornelia, Georgia, adding more than 71,000 local telephone lines. The second came with Aliant Communications of Lincoln, Nebraska and was worth $1.8 billion. The final merger of 1997 was with the Kansas Company Liberty Cellular, worth $600 million. Alltel Cell Phones continued to merge with other companies for the next 11 years until in 2008 Verizon Wireless announced that they would be acquiring Alltel Cell Phones at a deal priced at $28.1 billion! On November 4, 2008 the Federal Communications Commission approved the deal and on January 9, 2009 the merger was completed. This merger officially made Verizon the largest carrier in the United States. At its peak though, Alltel Cell Phones, even without the availability of Unlocked Cell Phones, Alltel operated in 34 states and had the largest wireless coverage footprint, in area. Through roaming agreements with Verizon and Sprint Alltel worked in all 50 states. Alltel accredited most of its success with targeting small to medium sized cities as well as covering rural areas. Alltel cleverly marketed to smaller places that sometimes felt neglected by the bigger companies that targeted major cities. The story of Alltel certainly seems to tell a story of the big fish eating up the little fishes. Not only did they complete nearly 20 mergers and acquisitions in an 11 year time period but they were then merged onto a company even bigger than them! Is it possible that our cell phone service providers will one day be more like our two party political system or will it instead become more and more dispersed and diverse like the make and models of phones out there. There is no certainty of either happening but we may see a world of unlocked cell phones versus this brand versus this make, but who really knows?
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