LITTLE ROCK—Gov. Mike Beebe said he was as surprised as anyone about Verizon Wireless buying Alltel Corp., a decision that could put jobs at risk at one of Arkansas’ largest employers.

“Frankly, you all know about as much as I do right now in terms of what’s going to happen because we haven’t had any specific discussions with them,” Beebe told reporters Friday after appearing on the Arkansas Radio Network’s monthly “Ask the Governor” program. “In fact, all this happened so quickly, we didn’t get much of a heads-up, much more than you all did, about the impending sale.”

Beebe said he and other state officials plan to speak with Verizon soon about what the purchase will mean for Arkansas workers. While Alltel President and CEO Scott Ford has said New York-based Verizon has looked at using his company’s corporate campus in Little Rock as a regional headquarters, it remains unclear what effect the sale will have on its work force.

Beebe declined to say what kind of incentives the state would be willing to offer Verizon to secure those jobs. Joe Holmes, a spokesman for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, said no meetings had yet been set between Verizon and state officials.

Verizon Wireless announced Thursday its plans to buy Alltel and assume its debts for $28.1 billion. Alltel, which went private last year, offered Verizon Wireless lucrative access to its wide-ranging rural coverage in 35 states. If approved, the deal would make Verizon Wireless the nation’s largest wireless carrier with more than 80 million subscribers.

Ford said the several hundred people employed in Alltel’s corporate offices could lose their jobs. The state’s Economic Development Commission lists Alltel as Arkansas’ eighth largest employer among businesses, behind Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Tyson Foods Inc., and others.