Phone companies merge Christopher Bjorke, The Bismarck Tribune McClatchy-Tribune Regional News May 4, 2011 Bismarck, ND.

- Excited to get new phones or just eager get back to work, Alltel customers are lining up at AT&T stores as that company completes its acquisition of Alltel's wireless service. "The cellphone's got to work," said Aaron Strommen, a Fort Rice area rancher in line at Bismarck's South Seventh Street AT&T store Tuesday. A mobile phone has become a necessary tool for farmers to talk to suppliers, buyers, bankers or veterinarians. "You just don't stop and go to the house do that anymore," he said. "You can't function without them." Alltel Wireless customers will become AT&T customers over the next couple of weeks as the two companies wrap up their merger. AT&T acquired Alltel's wireless business in 18 states, including all of North Dakota, and has been preparing Alltel subscribers to switch service since last year. "That migration will happen from April 29 to mid-to-late May," said Hardmon Williams, vice president and general manager for AT&T's northern plains markets. "We believe it will be pretty seamless for them." AT&T employees at stores around the state have been helping crowds of subscribers transfer data from their old phones to AT&T-compatible phones or buy new devices since April 29. Area Retail Sales Manager Garrett Kunz said the Seventh Street store has had about 1,000 visitors a day since Friday. The company also has sent workers from other markets to help out. "It has been very, very steady," Kunz said. Alltel subscribers had the option to exchange their phones for new AT&T compatible devices for free or buy a more expensive device. Subscribers who did not choose a new model were sent devices comparable to their old ones. New customers will receive messages on their mobile phones or landline phones telling them when their Alltel service will stop and their AT&T service will begin. AT&T's wireless stores will have staff available to help new subscribers transfer data from their old devices to their new ones and handle sales for AT&T-compatible devices that were not available here before the merger. "There's been an extraordinary amount of demand for our more sophisticated phones," said Williams, who called the new device offerings one of the main customer benefits of the merger.

AT&T spokesman Chris Bauer said the service switch will affect 1.6 million customers in 79 service areas, including North Dakota, South Dakota, northwest and southwest Minnesota and most of Montana. Another telecommunications company operating in North Dakota is part of a separate merger. The Federal Communications Commission in March approved the acquisition of Denver-based Qwest by CenturyLink, based in Monroe, La. According to the company, it is the fourth-largest exchange telephone company in the country with 7 million access lines and 2.2 million broadband customers. The combined company will be the third-largest telecom company in the country and will use the CenturyLink name. North Dakota native and retired Admiral William A. Owens will be the chairman of its board. "Regardless of the size of the industry, personal relationships still matter," said Public Service Commissioner Kevin Cramer. "No one's been a bigger patriot for North Dakota than Bill Owens." CenturyLink Markets Development Manager Carrie Amann said that customers will not see any changes until possibly August and will be notified before they happen. "We're still going to be operating business as usual until we become fully integrated," she said. "I think the big benefit will be the launch of more DSL sites and improved services." CenturyLink will acquire 160 employees and about 100,000 lines from Qwest in North Dakota, Amann said.