Alltel buying Midwest Wireless

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports on Alltel's $1.08 billion bid to purchase Midwest Wireless and its 400,000 customers. Midwest Wireless is owned by 60 rural local telephone companies in southern Minnesota, western Wisconsin and northern and eastern Iowa.

Both Alltel and Midwest Wireless have CDMA networks, which might make it easier to integrate the two systems. Tole Hart at Gartner noted "Alltel, which has 10 million wireless customers in 34 states, has good prices on its nationwide plans, mainly because of roaming agreements with Verizon Wireless."

He thought,"Alltel may be able to improve on Midwest Wireless' nationwide coverage plans and offer a wider selection of cell phones for Midwest customers."