Alltel's roaming area just became much larger

Posted May 10th 2006 9:11AM by Brian White
Filed under: Cellular, Business

Alltel, the CDMA carrier here in the U.S., just signed an agreement with Sprint Nextel to allow cross-network roaming -- for both voice and data services -- for a 10-year period. This includes EV-DO data, a data service that it does not have with existing roaming partner Verizon Wireless, where Alltel customers can only roam on voice and 1xRTT data (the older, slower standard).

It's interesting that Alltel also has a wholesale roaming agreement with Cingular and T-Mobile USA, both of which are GSM carriers. It's still confusing to me on how a CDMA carrier has any kind of relationship with a GSM carrier, for whatever purpose. But, there it is.

[photo credit: http://www.skydsp.com]

Reader Comments

(Page 1)

1. Probably because when the roaming contracts were put into place, there was only analog. At least this explains the Cingular...the T-Mobile, I don't know because they have always been GSM only.

Posted at 10:44AM on May 10th 2006 by james

2. I think Alltel still has some GSM cutomers it got through acquisitions.

Posted at 1:39PM on May 10th 2006 by captainmicahp

3. Alltel purchased Western Wireless which also owned/provided GSM services via CellularOne in some markets as well as just owning GSM towers strictly for roaming agreements with other GSM carriers.

Posted at 11:36AM on May 12th 2006 by capoeira

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