Wireless Broadband Arrives in Tennessee

[Andy]

Memphis to Receive Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess(sm) Wireless Internet
Service and V Cast(sm) Consumer Multimedia Service

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on a successful strategy
to provide customers superior wireless services in the United States, Verizon
Wireless Region President Jerry Fountain today announced the launch of two
award-winning services in the Memphis metropolitan area, one developed for the
consumer market, the other primarily for business customers.
BroadbandAccess(sm) -- the only national wide-area wireless broadband Internet
access service available in the United States -- and V CAST(sm), the nation's
first and only wireless broadband multimedia service for consumers, are both
available today in Memphis. Both services run on the company's high-speed EV-
DO (Evolution Data-Optimized) wireless broadband network, the nation's largest
and fastest wireless broadband network.
In the greater Memphis area, Verizon Wireless' EV-DO coverage area
includes Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville, Cordova, Germantown, Horn Lake,
Kerrville, Lakeland, Millington, Olive Branch, Rosemark, Southaven and West
Memphis.
Jerry Fountain, Carolinas/Tennessee regional president for Verizon
Wireless, said: "BroadbandAccess provides mobile workers in Memphis and
throughout the nation with access to the best in wireless networks, which
takes mobility to a whole new level. Verizon Wireless' EV-DO network is the
only national wide-area wireless broadband network in the country, giving
BroadbandAccess customers a superior wireless data experience while away from
the office and full access to their corporate information, just as if they
were attached via a high-speed wired connection, but with the freedom of true
mobility. And with V CAST, consumers can access the latest in multimedia
programming to stay connected, informed and entertained via their wireless
phones."

BroadbandAccess
The company's highly touted BroadbandAccess service, available to mobile
professionals and enterprise customers, allows customers in the Memphis
metropolitan area to connect wirelessly to the Internet via their laptop at
broadband speeds, a convenient way to conduct business. The nation's largest
and fastest wireless broadband service, BroadbandAccess allows customers to
download a 1 Megabyte email attachment (for example, a small PowerPoint
presentation or a large PDF file), or receive three digital pictures (each 400
x 600 pixels) in less than 20 seconds. Because EV-DO technology is backward
compatible -- a distinct advantage to the company's CDMA technology --
customers who travel outside a BroadbandAccess coverage area with an EV-DO
device will seamlessly switch to Verizon Wireless' existing NationalAccess(sm)
service, which runs on the company's 1xRTT network.
Working with virtual private network (VPN) connections, business customers
can use BroadbandAccess as an extension of their corporate local area network
(LAN) or intranet, allowing them to work from any location within the
BroadbandAccess coverage area, as if they were in the office.
BroadbandAccess, with typical user download speeds of 400-700 kilobits per
second (kbps), is ideal for downloading files and business-critical
information residing behind corporate firewalls and for accessing e-mail,
intranets and the Internet. BroadbandAccess' EV-DO technology has its own
data protection and authentication and is designed to work with a business'
existing IT infrastructure and security solutions.
Verizon Wireless offers current and new customers unlimited
BroadbandAccess for $59.99 monthly access with a two-year customer agreement
and any voice plan. For non-voice customers, BroadbandAccess is available for
$79.99 monthly access for unlimited use with a one- or two-year customer
agreement. The new pricing for voice customers on BroadbandAccess is available
through December 31, 2005. For more information on BroadbandAccess from
Verizon Wireless, visit http://www.verizonwireless.com/broadbandaccess.

V CAST
Verizon Wireless' V CAST service enables consumers to access short video
content on-demand, viewing current news, weather, sports and entertainment
programming. With V CAST, customers can also download and play cutting-edge
3D games, watch music videos and concert performances from favorite artists,
view short programs specifically designed for mobile phones and other video
content right on their phones. For a list of all videos and 3D game
entertainment available on V CAST, visit http://www.getvcast.com.
"With V CAST, consumers can access the latest in multimedia programming to
stay connected, informed and entertained via their wireless phones," added
Fountain. "This ground-breaking technology provides clear video images of the
most interesting content available -- all on your wireless phone."
For $15.00 monthly access added to their Verizon Wireless calling plan,
customers in Memphis can get the V CAST VPak which includes unlimited access
to a wide array of more than 300 daily updated video clips from leading news,
sports, weather and entertainment content providers. Unlimited basic short
content is included, but application download fees apply for 3D games, premium
video short content, and all other Get It Now(R) applications. There are no
airtime charges to download, stream or watch V CAST content. Customers can
also download, stream or watch premium short video content, available at
additional cost, which includes video such as music videos, select sports
clips and mobisodes. Verizon Wireless V CAST customers also receive monthly
access and unlimited browsing on Verizon Wireless' Mobile Web 2.0(SM) news and
information service. For a limited time, customers who sign up for V CAST
receive one month of service free.

EV-DO Network
BroadbandAccess and V CAST run on Verizon Wireless' EV-DO network, which
began commercial operation in October 2003 in San Diego and Washington, D.C.
and is now the only national wide-area wireless broadband network in the
country. Lucent Technologies is providing the infrastructure for the new
Verizon Wireless network. Lucent's CDMA2000(R) 1xEV-DO (Evolution-Data
Optimized) technology supports mobile data services at speeds of up to 2.4
Megabits per second (Mbps). Verizon Wireless' EV-DO network initially made its
commercial debut with BroadbandAccess wireless Internet access service for
business customers and mobile professionals. The company launched its V CAST
wireless broadband multimedia service in February 2005.
Verizon Wireless has expanded the EV-DO coverage area -- the V CAST and
BroadbandAccess service areas -- several times already this year, and the
network now covers 171 major metropolitan areas and 68 airports across the
country. The company's expansion strategy includes adding new markets and
expanding network coverage in existing markets.
Verizon Wireless has invested more than $4 billion annually on the build-
out and enhancement of its networks since the company's inception in 2000, and
last year alone it invested $5 billion, including build-out of the wireless
broadband EV-DO network. In Tennessee, Verizon Wireless invested more than
$80 million in network enhancements in 2004 and projects to spend more than
$150 million on the state's network this year.

V CAST and BroadbandAccess Accolades
In May 2005, CMP Media LLC's Network Computing named Verizon Wireless as
the Best Business Data Service for BroadbandAccess in the publication's 2005
Well-Connected Awards, beating out business data services of two other major
wireless carriers.
LAPTOP Magazine awarded Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess service with the
Editor's Choice Award in its December 2004 issue. According to the articled
titled, "Be Your Own Hot Spot," BroadbandAccess is the only wide-area
broadband service "that lives up to the hype." Reviewers concluded, "In short,
Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess service lives up to its name. If you live or
work in one of the current coverage areas, you'll be rewarded with a high-
speed connection that's perfect for those of us with little patience. Which is
just about every mobile worker we know."
The company's V CAST consumer multimedia service has received recognition
as well. Within weeks of the initial launch, Verizon Wireless' V CAST service
won best "Mobile/Remote Service" at the fifth annual MobileFocus Awards, which
were presented at CTIA in New Orleans and sponsored by Pepcom and LAPTOP
magazine. The awards honor the best in mobile and wireless technology.

BroadbandAccess PC Cards and V CAST Phones
Verizon Wireless offers several PC Cards for BroadbandAccess customers,
including the Verizon Wireless PC 5740, Kyocera KPC-650 and Novatel V620
cards.
Customers can access V CAST on seven hot new phones. The featured phone
is the new LG VX9800 phone -- with its QWERTY keyboard, full-motion short
content with audio streaming and downloading and playback capabilities, the LG
VX9800 offers customers a rich and rewarding interactive experience. The LG
VX9800 is available for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a two-year
customer agreement. V CAST customers can also check out the latest in news,
entertainment and sports on the LG VX8100, Samsung SCH-a950, Samsung SCH-a970,
Motorola RAZR, Motorola E815, which is $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with
a two-year customer agreement and the CDM8940 for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in
rebate with a two-year customer agreement.
For more information on V CAST or BroadbandAccess from Verizon Wireless,
visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to
http://www.verizonwireless.com.