Verizon's been happily activating any legacy Alltel devices on its network ever since it swallowed the smaller carrier up several years ago, but if you wanted to bring your favorite Alltel handset into a Verizon store and have it activated today, you're out of luck. In a statement sent to Engadget, Verizon has confirmed that it's no longer activating Alltel devices on its network starting today. Any Alltel products currently humming along on Verizon's network won't be affected by the policy change.
As Engadget notes, Verizon's decision to no longer bring Alltel devices onto its network is unlikely to affect many folks as we enter into 2012. If the decision does impact you, though, think of it as a way to get yourself a new device as a late holiday gift! The full statement from Verizon is available below.
Effective today, legacy Alltel devices can no longer be activated on our network. So, if you had an Alltel device sitting in a drawer or glove compartment and wanted to activate it today, you would not be able to. Today's change does not affect legacy Alltel devices that are currently activated and on our network.
It has been three years since Verizon Wireless purchased Alltel and to give customers the best experience on our network, we are encouraging them to move to current devices. Customers who are told they cannot activate an older Alltel device are able to take advantage of any current promotions, including free devices as offered on our Web site.
Via Engadget
