/ Source: The Associated Press
XM Satellite Radio Inc. has made a deal with Alltel Wireless, a cell phone service provider, to distribute some of XM's commercial-free channels over cell phones.
The deal, which is expected to be announced Thursday, mirrors a similar arrangement announced last year between XM's competitor Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and Sprint Corp.
The pact between XM and Alltel will allow Alltel subscribers to get access to 20 XM music channels for a monthly fee of $7.99.
Sirius and Sprint have not said how many customers have signed up for their service, which launched last September.