Staff Writer
Verizon Wireless plans to begin making their services available to Aroostook County customers between April and June of 2009. Verizon Wireless has been providing local Unicel customers with service since August 7 of 2008, when Verizon Communications and Vodafone purchased Rural Cellular Corporation (Unicel).
Unicel customers may not have noticed a difference since Verizon has been providing Unicel customers with services and coverage based on the same towers previously used and owned by Unicel,.
Michael Murphy, New England Region public relations manager for Verizon Wireless, stated that Verizon is busy behind the scenes preparing to eventually deploy their CDMA technology and high-speed broadband service throughout the Unicel coverage area.
Murphy also said that Verizon will be reaching out to Unicel customers over the next several months to walk them through the transition from Unicel to Verizon Wireless.
“In the coming months, customers will receive information in the mail about the options available to them, including free and/or discounted handsets, as well as the steps required to obtain a new phone,” said Murphy.
Murphy also stated that no action was necessary by Unicel customers at this time.
Verizon plans on attaching their own antennas to existing Unicel towers and structures in the coming months. “Currently,” said Murphy, “every Verizon Wireless cell site in New England provides wireless broadband connectivity.
Jason Jackson, owner of Jackson Wireless, is a current Unicel agent who’s optimistic about being re-branded as a Verizon Wireless dealer.
“I’m excited about the new phones,” he said, “We’ll finally be able to sell Blackberrys, which are good for local business owners and other people who constantly need to use e-mail.”
With Verizon comes their 3G high-speed broadband services, which means much faster data for those who use their cellular phone for checking e-mail or browsing the Internet.
“U.S. Cellular and Unicel have been here since the early ‘90s,” Jackson said, “there’s never been any change. Now that Verizon is here, we’ll be able to see what they have to offer.”
The merging of Unicel and Verizon should go smoothly. “Verizon Wireless is quite familiar with mergers and acquisitions,” said Murphy, “Verizon is a company composed of companies.”
“When Verizon Wireless was formed in 2000, we merged a number of individual, smaller regional providers to launch the new company. Over the years, we continued to acquire wireless companies to expand across the United States and deliver the benefits of a premier nationwide network to our customers.”
The acquisition of Unicel added 625,000 customers to Verizon.
“Acquiring Unicel offers us an opportunity to expand the Verizon Wireless network into many areas of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts where we previously had little or no presence,” said Murphy.
According to Verizon, virtually all Unicel employees have received and accepted employment offers. “We’re in the process of meeting with Unicel’s agents, evaluating their business models and location to determine which of these dealers would fit the Verizon Wireless model for Authorized Agent Distribution. Unicel stores will eventually be re-branded as Verizon Wireless in phases beginning in the second quarter of 2009 and continuing through mid-year.”
One problem involved with using a cell phone locally has been the cellular towers in Canada; cell phones without appropriate plans can accumulate large fees if they are unknowingly using a signal from a Canadian tower. Local cellular companies have been able to accommodate customers with different cellular packages, and Verizon aims to do the same.
“We will have a Canadian roaming plan,” said Murphy, “more details will be shared with customers in the future.”
