MyCircle expands to texting at Alltel

Even with a probable end in sight, Alltel Communications L.L.C. is pulling out all the stops. Shortly after the carrier’s announcement to expand and speed up its network, Alltel announced it will add a texting option to its MyCircle offering.
The plan currently allows subscribers to make unlimited calls to any 5, 10 or 20 numbers of their choice. Now, the carrier is adding text messaging and a family choice option to MyCircle. For an extra $8 a month, customers can send 400 text messages to any number, and unlimited texts to the chosen ones in their “Circle.” At an extra $13, customers can send 1,000 texts, and for $20 they can score unlimited texting to any number.
The carrier’s new family plan, dubbed MyCircle Family Choice Plus, ranges from $85 to $115. Subscribers can add one or two lines with 1,000 or 2,000 anytime minutes, free nights and weekends, unlimited calling to “Circle” numbers, unlimited texting to Alltel customers including those in the “Circle,” and can send 1,000 text, picture or video messages.
So the big question is: If Verizon Wireless is planning to acquire Alltel, as it announced earlier this month, why all the upgrades?
Garry Bledsoe, VP of pricing strategy at Alltel, said the carrier has been planning the offering for a while and that Alltel will continue with upgrades while it is still a stand-alone company.
“Right now it’s business as usual,” Bledsoe said. “We have a responsibility to our customers to do innovative things for them, and at this point Verizon is our competitor and this is what it takes to be competitive.”