Verizon Wireless has announced it plans to acquire U.S. regional mobile operator Alltel in a transaction valued at $28.1 billion. In geographic terms, Alltel’s service area is one of the largest in the United States, encompassing areas of 34 states in the southeast, midwest, and northern plains regions of the country, including many rural areas not currently served by Verizon. Although Alltel only handles about 13 million subscribers, the addition of Alltel should be enough for Verizon to wrest AT&T from its perch as the largest mobile operator in the United States.
