Verizon Closes on Alltel
If you want a powerhouse as your mobile phone provider, Verizon is well on its way. On January 9th, Verizon will complete the acquisition of Alltel, making it the largest cell phone provider in America.
Alltel was a competing provider, the fifth-largest carrier in the United States. They mirrored their strategy after that of Walmart, starting in rural areas then expanding to cities. By acquiring Alltel, Verizon is gaining many assets.
This comes with a price tag, however, as Verizon will pay $5.9 billion, and also gain $22.2 billion in Alltel’s debt. However, Verizon received commitments for financing amounting to $17 billion from eight different institutions. By obtaining 13 million extra subscribers, putting them at approximately 78 million, Verizon will be ahead of AT&T, the current leader.
The regulatory review took longer than expected, stretching into December, so Verizon Wireless was unable to seal the deal before 2008 ended. In order to acquire approval for the deal, when its assets overlap with Alltel’s network, Verizon will sell its assets.
With this acquisition there is a lot of talk about which jobs will be in danger, and whether or not Verizon will keep certain employees and positions. Currently, Alltel is based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Verizon is planning on locating a call center there, but it is uncertain how many of the better paying jobs there in the city will be kept. Most likely, a large number of them will be lost. Verizon is expected to give more information on jobs on the closing date.
President and Chief Executive of Verizon, Lowell McAdam addressed an audience in Little Rock approximately half a year ago, and he figured that it would take a long time to determine which positions would be kept or cut. He added that it would most likely take a year after the closing of Alltel.
Verizon Gets $33 Million in Cybersquatting Case
It seems like someone wasn’t playing it nice last year, and Verizon won the battle in the courts. The lawsuit was one of the largest of its kind, focusing on cybersquatting. Cybersquatting is where one company uses online domain names to try to make customers think they are visiting a well recognized dealer. For example, OnlineNIC has more than 1.18 million registered domains, with over 663 of them similar to, and even identical to, that of Verizon trademarks. Therefore, customers think they are visiting Verizon Web sites, but really, they are being misled.
The lawsuit took place in California, with a judge in the Northern District siding with Verizon that OnlineNIC was taking advantage of their brand recognition. OnlineNIC registered domain names such as iphoneverizonplans.com, myverizonwireless.com, and 123verizonphones.com.
Because OnlineNIC registered so many domain names, they have to pay even more. The judge ruled that OnlineNIC has to pay $50,000 per domain name, which equals out to $33.15 million to Verizon. Verizon has stated that this is the largest judgment in their company history for a cybersquatting case.
The Vice President of Verizon, and General Counsel, Sarah Deutsch, said “This case should send a clear message and serve to deter cybersquatters who continue to run businesses for the primary purpose of misleading consumers.” She added, “Verizon intends to continue to take all steps necessary to protect our brand and consumers from Internet frauds and abuses.”
As no one from OnlineNIC went to the court summons, the court “concluded that Online NIC’s bad-faith registrations of Verizon-related domain names were designed to attract web users who were seeking to access Verizon’s legitimate websites.” This type of practice can lead to a loss of trust, bad customer experiences, and ultimately lost sales, which OnlineNIC is now paying for. This is a significant lawsuit that will help deter cybersquatting from occurring, a practice that costs over $1 billion worldwide to brand owners.
Verizon Helps Track Santa
If you or your children are wondering exactly where Santa is on Christmas Eve, Verizon is providing a way for you to track him! That’s right, Verizon is collaborating with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to deliver a hotline that children can call and figure out where Santa is on his nightly run. Successful in the past, you can dial the hotline at 1-877-HI-NORAD from 4 o’clock a.m. MST on December 24th until 3 o’clock a.m. on December 25th. Now you can get the exact location of where Santa and his reindeer are. This hotline will work for all U.S. or Canadian residents who want to track Santa’s long night across the world.
Major Stacia Reddish, the Tracks Santa Program Manager for NORAD said “The tradition of NORAD Tracking Santa began with an errant telephone call from a child, and that is why we continue the tradition.” She added, “Although the Web site has a huge audience, many children still like to call the Operations Center to talk to a real person. We truly appreciate Verizon making it possible for the children to call NORAD on Christmas Eve.”
The first call was taken by Colonel Harry Shoup, who told the child who had misdialed that he was helping Santa head south from the North Pole, and that he was tracking him on the radar screens. After that story was reported in the news, the Continental Air Defense Command received a flood of calls inquiring about Santa. Last year the tradition was going strong, as the NORAD team took over 94,000 calls at the Air Force Base. Now Verizon is pleased to offer the toll-free calling to further the practice.
Susan Zeleniak, The Group President at Verizon Federal, an organization within Verizon Business that is for federal government customers, said “We are proud to do our part and donate time and resources to a tradition that warms the hearts of children at Christmas.” She added, “Helping NORAD track Santa reflects Verizon’s commitment to help children of all ages stay connected.”
Verizon Delivers Tips on Business Prosperity
The economy is ever-changing, and Verizon gave some tips on how to keep up with the competition, and even surpass it. For the complete list of Verizon Business’ list of 10 hot trends for 2009, visit .
Senior Vice President of Global Business Products for Verizon, Nancy Gofus, said “These challenging times present IT leaders with an opportunity to make technology work harder and smarter to get the job done.” She added, “We’re at a crossroads, where cost-cutting and technological innovation can actually unite to create new business capabilities in spite of the economic climate. Verizon Business stands ready to help large businesses and government agencies worldwide make the most of communications and IT to propel their enterprises forward.” Who else could better articulate how technology can help businesses, than Verizon?
Here are a few selected tidbits on the changing business market:
- Enterprise 2.0: Get inspired by fresh social networking tools, like Facebook, Twitter, and Digg-it. Connect in new and exciting ways to take it to the next level.
- Work as Activity versus Place: Teleworking is becoming more common, while still maintaining productivity. Think of work as an activity, rather than as a place employees go to. This can ensure that you keep the professionals you need to run your business, wherever they may be located. This can also focus more on the work being done, instead of time spent at the office.
- Eco-Responsibility as Sound Business Strategy: Save paper, turn off computers during non-work hours, and you save the environment at the same time as utilizing good business sense. This can cut costs, while reducing global carbon emissions.
For more information on these tips, as well as many more, turn to Verizon to keep you updated and connected in every aspect of life.
Verizon Addresses Domestic Violence
Now there is help to returning war veterans, from The American GI Forum and Verizon. Veterans and their families can benefit from a grant for $75,000 from Verizon that helps teach six communities in California how to avoid these tragic situations. There is no need to become a victim or a perpetrator if it can be helped, and the program entitled Preventing Domestic Violence for Veterans and Families does just that. This is available in the San Diego, Santa Maria, San Bernardino, Lompoc, Victorville, and Oceanside communities, and was announced on December 2nd.
The State Commander of the American GI Forum, Willie Galvan, addresses this vital issue when he says “It is critical that we provide military families the tools they need to effectively address the issue of domestic violence.” He added, “Our partnership with Verizon will allow us to develop a program that empowers families to lead healthy lives.”
The grant from Verizon will allow veterans and families to participate in a course specially designed to prevent domestic violence. The course will focus on anger management solutions, and how to resolve conflicts safely. Additionally, the course will demonstrate available resources and how they can be accessed if the need arises.
The Chair of the Assembly Committee on Veteran Affairs, Mary Salas, said “In California, we need to be more proactive in providing comprehensive services to our veterans so that we can reintegrate soldiers into normal society.” She added “The collaboration between Verizon and the American GI Forum demonstrates the strides that can be made when the private sector and public organizations work together.”
Of course, many individuals hope that these things will never happen, but the help is there to prevent it. The solutions should be readily available to anyone in need, which is what Tim McCallion, Verizon West Region President, thinks as well. Of the grant he said, “Domestic violence touches every segment of society; but while the problem is universal, the solutions are not. That is why Verizon is supporting American GI Forum’s project to confront the issue of domestic violence.”