Alltel customers in Albert Lea and southern Minnesota are now Verizon Wireless customers, after Verizon Wireless announced last week it has completed its purchase of Alltel Corp. from Atlantis Holdings LLC.

The purchase will expand Verizon Wireless network coverage to about 290 million people and increase its customers by 12.9 million people, according to a news release.

Locally, the company will continue to use the Alltel brand for the next several months as it works to integrate networks, said Karen Smith, with media relations for Verizon Wireless. That means Alltel customers do not need to take any action at this time.

Local Alltel customers will receive a letter during the next few weeks informing them about the purchase and the new services that will be available to them.

The service plans, prices and features will remain the same throughout the transition, and Verizon Wireless will notify customers by mail about any changes that may impact their service in the future.

Alltel purchased Midwest Wireless in 2007. Customers facing the brand transition to Verizon dealt with a brand transition about two years ago.

Verizon Wireless will re-brand the retained Alltel operations beginning in the second quarter of 2009 and continuing through the third quarter, according to the release.

“During the transition period, Alltel-branded stores will remain open to serve customers,” it stated.

Smith said Verizon Wireless will “work to transition the network and billing systems this year, and customers will receive direct communications as this transpires.”

As part of the agreement conditions of the Alltel purchase, Verizon Wireless will also get rid of overlapping properties in 105 markets across 24 states. Alltel operations will be divested in most of those markets, according to the release.

Verizon will also get rid of its own pre-merger operations in four markets, as well as the Rural Cellular Corp. operations in southern Minnesota, which are operating under the Unicel brand, the release stated.

The Unicel property in Freeborn County, which is at Northbridge Mall, is included.

Smith said Unicel in southern Minnesota is now being managed by a trust company as markets are being divested, but right now customers are still being served by the Unicel brand until the company is sold to a buyer.

Those markets will not be integrated into Verizon Wireless operations, the release stated.

Verizon Wireless announced its original intent to acquire Alltel in June 2008.