Alltel and Sprint Nextel Announce Wireless Roaming Agreement

Telecom News Editorials Reports Glossary

Alltel and Sprint Nextel Announce Wireless Roaming Agreement

7:00 am on May 10, 2006 | Category: Business, Telecom Services, Wireless

America’s third largest wireless provider, Sprint Nextel, has announced a 10-year roaming agreement with regional carrier Alltel, which will expand the coverage of both networks, and reduce rates for subscribers.

The agreement will kick in on July 1, allowing Sprint and Alltel customers to connect to either network without the inconvenience of high roaming fees. It also applies to cellular broadband services, such as Sprint’s EV-DO based mobile data network.

This roaming contract could allow Sprint to gain an edge over rival operator, Verizon Wireless, in the quest to bring high-speed cellular data access to as many Americans as possible. Sprint users will now be able to tap into the company’s high-speed data service on their cell phones or laptops from a greater area.

Sprint’s BroadbandAccess offering is currently available to 150 million Americans in 220 markets, and is expected to be accessible to 190 million by the end of the year. The compares to 154 million customers covered by Verizon’s 3G network.

The deal with Alltel will also allow Sprint users to make use of Alltel’s data services, including text messaging, where such service is not available on the Sprint Nextel network.

Alltel customers, meanwhile, will also benefit from the freedom to roam onto the network of a third major wireless network, when travelling outside of the regional carrier’s 36-state service area.

Alltel already has roaming agreements in place with Cingular and Verizon Wireless, but the Sprint Nextel deal is the first to also involve internet and mobile data services.