12:23 PM
Sami Khan
U.S. CELLULAR AND ALLTEL WIRELESS JOIN TOGETHER TO OFFER PREPAID WIRELESS SERVICE IN NEARLY 500 WALMART STORES NEXT MONTH
Wireless carriers expand distribution to give customers more options for wireless service
CHICAGO AND LITTLE ROCK (April 30, 2012) – U.S. Cellular (NYSE: USM) and Alltel Wireless have joined together to begin offering U Prepaid, a no contract wireless service, in select Walmart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) in local communities across 18 states beginning in May. The alliance, the first of its kind in the industry, offers customers flexible payment options without signing a contract.
"Teaming with Alltel to gain distribution in Walmart gives us another opportunity to be where our customers want to shop and to offer more customers a prepaid service that helps them control their monthly budgets," said Carter S. Elenz, executive vice president of sales and customer service for U.S. Cellular. "U Prepaid customers with U.S. Cellular will be backed by our high-speed network, which has the highest call quality and network satisfaction of any national carrier."
The new alliance provides Walmart customers simplified, easy-to-understand service plan choices. Depending on where customers live, the U Prepaid service will run on either U.S. Cellular's high-speed national network or Alltel's advanced coast-to-coast network.
"Alltel is proud to bring the strength and equity of our U Prepaid brand to U.S. Cellular to create this unique alliance," said Lesa Handly, chief marketing officer for Alltel Wireless. "Together, we can leverage our position as the "local" wireless carrier offering a hometown alternative in the communities we serve."
Customers will be able to select one of four U Prepaid devices that best meets their personal needs. The Android-powered Samsung Repp is a touchscreen smartphone for customers who want to stay productive while on the go. The LG Attune/LG Exchange and LG Saber make staying connected to friends and family easy with full QWERTY keyboards, and the Samsung Chrono provides the features and functionality for customers who prefer to use their phone for calling and texting.
Customers will be able to choose from a variety of value-packed plans to match how they use their phones. There are multiple data options and plans that include unlimited talk and texting. All of the plans are nationwide with no roaming charges.
About U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular's award-winning high-speed nationwide network has the highest call quality of any national carrier and features a strong line-up of cutting-edge devices. The Chicago-based carrier was named a J.D. Power and Associates Customer Service Champion in 2012 for the second year in a row. To learn more about U.S. Cellular, visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com. To get the latest news, promos and videos, connect with U.S. Cellular on Facebook.com/uscellular, Twitter.com/uscellular and YouTube.com/uscellularcorp.
About Alltel Wireless
Alltel Wireless, marketed by Allied Wireless Communications Corporation (AWCC), is America's longest running wireless brand serving customers in six states. The Little Rock, AR-based carrier's signature Best Value Unlimited plan helps customers stretch their dollars further. Combined with leading smartphone and feature phone devices delivered on an advanced network, Alltel Wireless offers consumers one of the most compelling values in the wireless industry. AWCC is a subsidiary of Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATNI). For more information, please visit http://alltelwireless.com or http://awcc.com.
posted Aug 10th 2011 2:16AM 
It seems like only yesterday that Walmart was doing its best to beat Apple at the digital music game by delivering us DRM-free digital music. Alas, the inexorable might of iTunes has, at last, become too much to bear. According to Digital Music News, Wally World's MP3 store will shut its digital doors forever on August 28th. Chin up, Walmart, we won't be coming to you for the new Kanye jam (not that we ever would), but we'll still head on down when we're in need of damn near anything else. 
