Verizon Wireless is expected to announce on Thursday a new calling plan similar to the My Circle plan created by Alltel Corp., which Verizon purchased last year.

The plan, called Friends & Family will allow subscribers on some plans to pick five or 10 phone numbers that they can call for free, without using their plan's minutes.

Earlier this month Verizon became the nation's largest wireless operator, finalizing their $27 billion deal to acquire Alltel. Verizon paid $5.9 billion and acquired $22.2 billion in Alltel debt for 13 million new customers -- for a total of 83 million customers.

According to employees working on the switchover, Verizon plans to convert Alltel customers to Verizon Wireless billing within two to three months, with a full brand conversion within six months.

Customers on single-line plans starting at $60 per month will get five free numbers, and those on family plans starting at $90 per month for two lines will get ten free numbers.

Verizon users will need to sign up for the feature online and select which phone numbers they want in the service.