support analog. The analog systems were retired by the end of 2008. While Alltel had not outlined its future path, merger partner Verizon Wireless had already announced plans to switch to GSM-based LTE. Network coverage There were Alltel-owned and -operated networks in parts of 6 states. Alltel utilized roaming agreements with competing providers to provide coast-to-coast service. Roaming agreements in the United States were primarily with Verizon and Sprint until the completion of the migration of all customers to the AT&T network. Handset and technical specifics Handsets were typically manufactured by Motorola, LG, Research In Motion (i.e., BlackBerry), Nokia, HTC, Samsung, Palm, and Pantech Curitel. Network equipment was manufactured by Lucent Technologies, Motorola, Nortel, Juniper Networks and Cisco. Phones used the Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless interface. Services Alltel Family Finder: Similar to Verizon Wireless's "Family Locator" service, Alltel offered a service dubbed Alltel Family Finder where users on family plans could download software to their children's phones and use GPS technology to acquire real-time location information either directly on their phone or on the computer. Users could also set up scheduled, automatic notifications of their child's location at set times, or use on-demand location checks to display the child's location on an interactive map. My Circle, launched on April 20, 2006, was a feature offered by Alltel Wireless that enabled customers to make and receive unlimited free calls to and from different phone numbers, including landlines. Initially, "My Circle" gave customers 10 different numbers per account. Customers were later given a choice of how many circle numbers they get (1, 5, 10, 15 or 20) based on the cost of their rate plan. On April 22, 2008, Alltel announced that all customers celebrating their second anniversary with "My Circle" would automatically receive one free "bonus" number added to their "My Circle" plan. In addition, on every second subsequent anniversary on an eligible "My Circle" plan, another bonus number would be added at no additional cost. Verizon Wireless adopted a My Circle-like feature called Friends & Family in February 2009. As Alltel customers are integrated and converted to Verizon Wireless' billing system, My Circle is being converted to Friends & Family. U Prepaid, introduced on January 30, 2006,' was similar to other prepaid services like Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile or AT&T GoPhone. Features that made U Prepaid unique are that it allowed the customer to customize their plan with text