Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — Verizon Corp. on Tuesday announced the layoffs of 18 former Alltel employees, nine of them in Little Rock, effective Wednesday.

Verizon spokesman Scott Morris said the positions to be eliminated are redundant, and the employees in those positions were notified in February of the layoffs.

“All of these employees are allowed to apply for other positions in Verizon,” Morris said. “Some already have, and have found jobs.”

About 200 more former Alltel employees have been notified that their positions are to be eliminated, effective May 1, he said, adding that they, too, would be eligible to look for work in another position for Verizon.

Verizon’s $28.1 billion buyout of Little Rock-based Alltel finalized in January made Verizon the nation’s largest wireless provider.