NEW YORK - Verizon Wireless agreed yesterday to buy Alltel for $28,1bn in cash and debt to overtake AT&T as the biggest cellphone company in the US. The deal is worth 2,1% more than the $27,5bn TPG and Goldman Sachs paid last year to take Alltel private. The acquisition included about $5,9bn in cash and $22,2bn in debt, the company said yesterday. Verizon Wireless is jointly owned by Verizon Communications and Vodafone. Verizon Wireless has vied with AT&T for new customers as they ditch land lines in favour of cellphones. Alltel has 13-million clients and its wireless network has the largest...
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