Georgia among phone markets Alltel leaving

LITTLE ROCK -Alltel Corp. is getting out of a handful of local telephone markets. <br> <br> The Little Rock-based telecommunications company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Tuesday that it&#39;s leaving 12 competitive local phone markets in seven states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia. <br> <br> The company made the decision in January, and simply reported it to the SEC this week. <br> <br> ``Those are all markets where we were competing against the incumbent,&#39;&#39; typically Southwestern Bell, said Alltel spokesman Andy Moreau. ``It was a simple business decision.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> He said it represented an ``insignificant&#39;&#39; share of its overall competitive local phone market. <br> <br> In its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said the change will allow the remaining such operations to make money this year. <br> <br> Alltell still will have 25 competitive local markets in Arkansas, Florida, Nebraska, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. <br> <br> Shares of Alltel were down 10 cents to close at $55.92 in trading Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange. <br>