Alltel no longer exists
The brand was dissolved by AT&T in early 2016. There is no Alltel account, no Alltel customer service line and no Alltel network. If you are searching for an Alltel account number, the account you actually have is with Verizon or AT&T.
Which one has your number?
It depends on where you lived. Verizon absorbed most of Alltel in 2009. AT&T took 79 divested markets in 2009 and the last remaining Alltel operations in 2013, finishing the migration by February 2015. Check which company bills you — that is your carrier of record.
How Alltel was broken up
- June 5, 2008: Verizon Wireless announced it would buy most of Alltel Wireless for $28.1 billion.
- The FCC approved it with conditions requiring Verizon to divest 105 markets, to preserve competition.
- May 2009: AT&T acquired 79 of those properties — about 1.5 million subscribers across 18 states.
- April 2010: Atlantic Tele-Network bought the remaining 26 markets and ran them as Allied Wireless, still using the Alltel name.
- September 20, 2013: AT&T bought those remaining operations for $780 million and migrated the customers, finishing in February 2015.
- Early 2016: AT&T dissolved Alltel Wireless. The brand ended there.
Porting a former Alltel number today
- Identify your real carrier. Look at the bill or the account you log into. It will be Verizon or AT&T.
- Get that carrier’s account number and transfer PIN — the exact steps are on our Verizon and AT&T pages.
- Start the port from the new carrier, and never cancel the old line first.
- Expect the phone to be the problem, not the number. Any handset old enough to have been an Alltel device will not work on a 2026 network.
Check coverage before you port
Alltel uses more than one network, so your coverage depends on which one serves your address rather than on the brand on the bill. Check all three: Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T.
Your right to keep the number is federal, not a carrier policy. The rule is the FCC’s: Portability: Keeping Your Phone Number When Changing Service Providers.
Working a counter? The Alltel transfer PIN lookup puts these steps on one screen and texts them to the customer.
Alltel’s towers are Verizon and AT&T towers now
Pick the network you are already on
Alltel’s footprint was absorbed into two of the three remaining US networks. Figure out which one covers you, then shop inside it.
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Questions about Alltel
Is Alltel still in business?
No. AT&T dissolved Alltel Wireless in early 2016.
Who bought Alltel?
Both Verizon and AT&T. Verizon took the bulk of it in 2008–2009; AT&T took the divested markets and, in 2013, the last remaining operations.
Can I still use my Alltel phone?
No. Alltel-era handsets predate VoLTE and the networks they were built for have been shut down. See what to check before buying a replacement.
Where do I get an Alltel account number?
You cannot. Get it from Verizon or AT&T, whichever one your account moved to.
Check Alltel before you switch
Two free tools. No sign-up, nothing stored on our side.
Other carriers that use more than one network
These carriers also ride more than one network, so coverage depends on your address rather than the brand.
See which network every US carrier uses · Open the transfer PIN lookup
