Verizon and Alltel will be official on January 9th. Verizon’s finally ready to take the plunge and call this $5.9 billion deal done. The combined juggernaut will amass a staggering 78 million subscribers, putting it roughly 3 million ahead of its closest rival, AT&T, though it’ll do so at the cost of assuming some $22.9 billion in Alltel debt. Ultimately, the merger means some positions at Alltel headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas will get axed — but hey, AT&T Mobility HQ’s just a stone’s throw away in Atlanta, so Verizon’s headcount loss could ultimately be AT&T’s gain. via Engadget.

Verizon and Alltel will be official on January 9th. Verizon’s finally ready to take the plunge and call this $5.9 billion deal done. The combined juggernaut will amass a staggering 78 million subscribers, putting it roughly 3 million ahead of its closest rival, AT&T, though it’ll do so at the cost of assuming some $22.9 billion in Alltel debt. Ultimately, the merger means some positions at Alltel headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas will get axed — but hey, AT&T Mobility HQ’s just a stone’s throw away in Atlanta, so Verizon’s headcount loss could ultimately be AT&T’s gain.

via Engadget.