Verizon Wireless Completes $100 Million Network Enhancement In Florida Q1/2 07

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Verizon Wireless Completes $100 Million Network Enhancement In Florida During First Half Of 2007

Network Enhancements Total More Than $1.6 Billion In State Since 2000

Media Contact Info

Chuck Hamby
Chuck.Hamby@VerizonWireless.com
813-615-4803

07/02/2007

TAMPA, FL — Verizon Wireless announced today that it spent $100 million to enhance services and coverage throughout Florida in the first six months of 2007, bringing the network investment here to more than $1.6 billion since 2000. The company’s ongoing network investment now totals more than $37 billion nationally over the past seven years.

Part of this investment has been toward the statewide activation of its high-speed Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) network. The Rev. A network provides access to services such as V CAST – which allows customers to stream video clips, play cutting-edge 3D games and download full song tracks over the air and directly to their handsets, and VZ NavigatorSM – a location-based service offering maps and audible driving directions. In addition, BroadbandAccess offers average download speeds of 600 kilobits per second (kbps) to 1.4 megabits per second and upload speeds of 500-800 kbps, so customers can wirelessly access their e-mail and calendars, the Internet and other information anytime, anywhere via a high-speed secure connection.

The enhanced network allows Verizon Wireless customers to download files at speeds as much as ten times faster than customers of other wireless service providers that use different broadly deployed network technologies. It also complements newer technologies like V CAST Mobile TV, which has been launched in Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa Bay during the first six months of 2007. Additional Florida markets are scheduled later this year.

“Floridians are very tech-savvy and demand the latest wireless products and services,” said Pam Tope, Florida region president for Verizon Wireless. “We’ve made large-scale investments throughout Florida in order to provide our customers with a network that is reliable and that provides the most advanced services and technologies.”

The installation of new transmission sites also is a key part of the network investment and ensuring the most reliable wireless coverage for residents. More than two dozen new wireless transmission sites have been activated in the state so far this year, providing expanded coverage to residents and businesses in Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Indian River, Lee, Charlotte, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Hernando, Orange, Marion, Volusia, Franklin, Alachua, Putnam, Saint John, Duval, and Nassau counties.

Network tests in the first half of 2007 indicate that the investment to further boost network strength is working for customers. This testing is performed by teams of technicians (who serve as the inspiration for the famous TV Test Man ad campaign) who have traveled approximately 75,000 miles across the state so far this year. The test teams ride in special vehicles loaded with computers, wireless phones and other equipment to measure and ensure strength and reliability versus other carriers. A new fleet of six Florida test vehicles, each costing approximately $250,000, was launched earlier this year.

“Ensuring the most reliable wireless network for Floridians is a big team effort,” Tope said. “We’re happy to make the ongoing commitment and investment here to serve our neighbors and customers for a long time to come.”

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 60.7 million customers. The largest US wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 66,000 employees nationwide. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at Cell Phones, Cell Phone Plans, Cell Phone Accessories - Verizon Wireless. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

Verizon Wireless Completes $100 Million Network Enhancement In Florida During First Half Of 2007