The company formed through the merger of Valor Communications and Alltel's wireline business will be known as Windstream Communications, it announced today.

CEO Jeff Gardner revealed the name to employees in a Webcast this morning along with a new corporate logo: a green zigzag in the shape of the letter W.

The new rural local exchange carrier, based in Little Rock, Ark., was created last December when Alltel sold its wireline business to Valor in a $9.1 billion deal that is expected to close by the middle of this year. The company will offer voice, broadband and entertainment services through about 3.4 million access lines in 16 states, collecting about $3.4 billion in annual revenue. Its CEO is Alltel's former chief financial officer.

"Now employees have a name to rally around, and they can begin building a distinct identity for Windstream," Alltel CEO Scott Ford said in a statement issued today. Ford will lead Alltel as a pure-play wireless firm.

Windstream has hired New York advertising agency The Concept Farm to help it publicize the new brand.