Cell phones for Effingham County employees and offices are getting a new service provider.

Commissioners approved switching service from Alltel to Verizon. Verizon purchased Alltel, with a merger completed in January 2009. As part of the merger, Verizon is selling off Alltel towers and turning other Alltel towers off, said Michelle Newland of the county’s finance and accounting department.

“We’re starting to have issues with service,” she said. “The Alltel equipment we have is subject to becoming antiquated.”

The county has 79 cell phones and 23 of those are smart phones. The smart phones are distributed to department heads and commissioners.

“They are beneficial to many of the department heads,” County Administrator David Crawley said.

Under the deal, the regular phones are $25 and the smart phones are $70.