Map and list of Markets to be divested by Verizon

Interesting map.

What I'm trying to figure out now is how (in recent media reports) the new combined company will have 78 million customers.

Currently Verizon has about 72 million, Alltel has roughly 14 million, so logically speaking the gross number would be 86 million...My question is where did the 8 million go?

From the map, it looks like less populated areas were divested. Did it really amount to 8 million??? Or is there more to it than what's been reported?

Intensely curious...

 

I guess the divested Alltel customers can keep the same benefits as if they were gonna goto Verizon?
I hope the customer has the final say on which network they want to be on,
while staying under the same contract with the current Alltel features...

 

I'm almost willing to bet that that number is probably correct. In a lot of rural areas, most people have Alltel or Verizon. CDMA is king in rural areas in almost every area of the country. I think people know this. There are some markets that are somewhat big as well, like here in Michigan, they have to divest the Muskegon market, which is a large metro area.

 

I've seen this map in other places on the web as well but I can't help but notice some mistakes on it. They have two markets in Michigan listed as Verizon-divested markets. However, Verizon does not own either market. Alltel does. So, I'm wondering how they knew the Muskegon market was Alltel, but not the other two adjacent to it.

 

If the customer has alltel and is being divested, they can stay with whatever company buys their market, or can choose to switch to Verizon, however if they are under contract they will have to pay an early termination fee.

The company that buys that market will have the decision as to what rate plan and features you will be eligible for.

 

But would it really amount to 60% of Alltel's customer base? It's seems like an awfully big number, but you're probably right.

Hopefully at some point more detailed information will be available outlining specific divested numbers....It may be wishful thinking, but what the heck.

 

Yeah, I'm sure something will come out showing the amount of people being divested from the markets. I mean, if you just look at the license map for Alltel that has to be divested, that's a LOT of places. They could almost create a whole new network with all of those areas.

 

Yup, or US Cellular could more than double in size with all those divested markets.

I think in my area, USCC is gonna grab many areas to further expand it's already adjacent coverage,
For example, I think Hickory, NC is surely gonna goto them.

 

It's a lot of places, but some of the places have almost no population. For instance, in Georgia, Verizon keeps most of the more populous areas covered by Alltel: Augusta, Savannah, Columbus, Valdosta, and Newnan. The largest Georgia city in Alltel's footprint that has to be divested is Albany. I think that the situation in most of the overlapping areas is the same, save for the Dakotas.

 

The divested markets will total to be the 7th largest carrier in the US on their own.

 

I hope US Cellular IS the purchaser of the divested markets. It would be nice to see a larger regional carrier emerge now that Alltel is 95% down Verizon's throat...

Though it would be interesting if Metro or Leap gobbled up some as well.

 

US Cellular would be my first pick, but you never can predict what they will do. A year ago I was hoping Alltel was going to go national on their own, which had they not been purchased by private equity, probably would have happened. My guess is USCC will pick off a few markets, and Cricket, and Metro will pick off some others. There will probably be some scraps that remain and get rebranded to whatever... maybe Windstream?

 

I wonder if USCC could make a deal with Verizon to buy some areas that weren't divested,

like Greenville/Spartanburg, SC for example, which isn't being divested,
but it would go together with the surrounding divest areas.

 

I've heard it's going to be the 6th largest, but I don't know what the measurement was based on (customers or square footage of territory covered)

 

Divested markets are about 2 million customers (at least the Alltel side of it), unless someone counted wrong.

 

That's what I've read and heard too, so where they got the numbers they did is beyond me...

I guess it was a conservative estimate?

 

If its people, the measurement is off. I think USCellular is #6 with 6.2 million users. That is a long way from the 2M that is slated for divestiture.

 

Maybe they are basing that on land mass... if you look at all of the dark blue areas on the map, that is a pretty big area.

 

The two red spots on the map in Michigan are Verizon markets on the PCS (1900) side. The map is accurate. Alltel holds the cellular license for those areas. Currently both Alltel and Verizon sell and provide service there. After the divestiture Verizon will only hold the cellular license there. Verizon likely did this to make it look good to the FCC.

 

Yeah, I was aware of that now. It was just confusing that they show cellular market areas as areas where they'll divest only 1900 areas. It's also confusing why Verizon has to divest their 1900 assets in those areas when the 1900 network is not that well built out so I can't imagine that many people are subscribed to them.

 

Oh...Yeah the reason for divesting doesn't make much sense to me either. That's why I can only think that Verizon as trying hard to convince the fcc that they are giving up enough to allow others through.

 

Well if I'm not mistaken, I believe that the FCC added the markets in Michigan to be divested. So I'm sure Verizon is wondering the same thing we are.

 

I'm new to the forum and thank you in advance for any insights you may be able to share.

Do any of my colleagues have any updates on who might be picking up the ALLTEL markets that aren't going to AT&T?

 

So, the map shows much of Southern Utah being divested, and the Salt Lake Tribune reported yesterday on the sale of assets to AT&T and said the Verizon customers in Southern Utah would now become AT&T customers. My question is this: were these Alltel assets or Verizon assets that were sold? Will there be any Verizon coverage in Southern Utah (say Cedar City or St. George) or is that all gone now since the assets being purchased by AT&T will be converted to GSM?

I hope that what happened is that there were overlapping Verizon and Alltel networks in the areas in question and that Verizon service will continue to be available in the divested areas. After all, if a Verizon phone could roam onto the Alltel assets it will not be able to roam onto the AT&T assets now. Is the Verizon network up to this or did rural Verizon coverage just go away?

 

The Alltel properties will be divested, and everything in the west except Idaho will goto AT&T, (if the FCC approves).

I wonder why Verizon didn't divest their own network, as Alltel's has more infrastructure.

If I had a choice of keeping a well built CDMA network and a GSM network (Alltel),
or just a CDMA network (VZW), I'd want to keep Alltel, so why would they give up the more valuable network....?