At least three pairs of private equity groups have put in bids for Alltel according to sources. Alltel revealed it was considering a sale in February and since then has been courting offers. No carriers have yet expressed an interested in buying the regional carrier, which is valued somewhere between 25 to 30 billion dollars. If one of the equity partnerships purchases Alltel, it is unlikely subscribers will notice any immediate changes. However it is likely they would only buy the carrier to hold it until a larger company is prepared to buy it.