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The deal that made Alltel a part of Verizon Wireless's empire was finalized earlier this month, and customers of both companies have been wondering how long it will take for Alltel's systems to fully merge with Verizon's. As we saw with Sprint and Nextel, it can take a long time - months or even years! - for all of the effects of a big merger or acquisition to be completed, so most people were not expecting to see many changes right away.

Surprisingly, Verizon has already announced one change that effects both Verizon and Alltel cell phone customers: Verizon has updated their In Calling network to include certain Alltel subscribers. Verizon's Mobile to Mobile calling and messaging program allows any subscriber with a monthly calling plan of $39.99 and above or a messaging plan that is at least $10/month make free calls, text and picture messages to other Verizon subscribers, and now they will be able to do so with certain Alltel customers, too! By incorporating some Alltel subscribers into the network, Verizon Wireless now offers an In Calling network of 80 million subscribers.

Obviously, since Verizon now owns Alltel, it is only natural that Alltel customers should be considered part of the Verizon network. However, there are some caveats to this announcement: First, this effects only Verizon customers who are eligible for In Calling and In Messaging. Alltel customers making calls to and from Verizon customers will continue to be billed according to their Alltel calling plan until Verizon has fully merged Alltel's billing system with their own. Also, please note that only certain Alltel phone numbers are included in this announcement. If you're a Verizon customer wondering if you can now call your friend on Alltel for free, you can find out by going to verizonwireless.com, then clicking "mobile to mobile" under the "learn more" tab; you will then see text that says "Are your friends and family in America's Largest Mobile to Mobile Calling Family?" and there will be a "find out now" button:

If you have any questions about your Verizon or Alltel service or the "Mobile to Mobile" program, you should call your provider. If you're not sure whether your Verizon plan includes free Mobile to Mobile calling or messaging, you can check your bill or your account at verizonwireless.com