similiar fate as jeff burton/cingular?



Alltel selling? mergining? Verizon? Alltel Corp. could fetch a price tag of $25 billion to $31 billion from private equity firms or other U.S. mobile service providers looking to expand in rural markets, analysts said Tuesday [Feb 20th]. Alltel, the top rural U.S. wireless provider, fueled merger speculation when it said during an earnings conference call Tuesday that it was reviewing its strategic options. Analysts said a sale agreement could happen as early as April. Its shares rose 3.3% to $62.40 after the comments, also spurred by better-than-expected quarterly results. Some analysts said Verizon Communications was the most likely company to bid for Alltel as Verizon Wireless uses the same CDMA network technology, making any merger easier. Verizon Wireless has the second-biggest U.S. customer base but leads in terms of revenue. Alltel, with 12 million customers, could also attract bids from AT&T's Cingular Wireless, Sprint Nextel or Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile USA, analysts said. Alltel has approached AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, and "made the rounds" among some private equity firms, but no one has jumped to buy the company yet, the source said. Michael Nelson, an analyst at Stanford Group, said private equity firms, which have bought a series of technology companies last year, were more likely acquirers than Alltel's wireless rivals. "I would say Verizon's the most likely strategic buyer," he said. But since Verizon has grown nicely on its own, "I still don't believe Verizon is a willing buyer of the asset unless their hand is forced and they risk losing it," Nelson added. Analysts said Alltel would likely aim for a sale agreement by April or May, ahead of a U.S. government sale of wireless airwaves that could take place as early as August. Rival bidders are barred from talking to each other once they register to take part in the auction. Analysts said No. 3 U.S. wireless provider Sprint Nextel could be a bidder as it also uses CDMA technology, but they note that Sprint's financial results have flagged in recent quarters as it struggled to integrate its Nextel purchase. Representatives for the companies in this story declined to comment or were not immediately available for comment.(money.cnn.com), what does this mean to the #12 team which is sponsored by Alltel? no idea...too early to tell.(2-25-2007)

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Auto racing, bull fighting and mountain climbing are the only real sports... the rest are just games........ Earnest Hemmingway