Verizon Wireless Completes Major Network Expansion In Pacific Northwest

[Andy]

Verizon Wireless Completes Major Network Expansion In Pacific Northwest
Verizon Wireless’ National Network Now Includes Eastern Washington, Northeastern Oregon And North Central Idaho



Media Contact Info

Georgia Taylor
Georgia.Taylor@VerizonWireless.com
425-603-2894



06/07/2005

BELLEVUE, WA — In a continuing effort to provide the most reliable wireless service for local residents, Verizon Wireless has expanded its digital network to include the Washington cities of Yakima, the Tri-Cities, Walla Walla, Ellensburg, Clarkston, and Pullman; as well as Pendleton, Hermiston and LaGrande in Oregon; and Lewiston and Moscow, Idaho. The expansion increases the company’s coverage in the region by more than 6,000 square miles.

“This is an important expansion for existing Washington, Oregon and Idaho customers, many of whom regularly travel to and from these cities where we have provided service through roaming partners,” said Kelley Kurtzman, Verizon Wireless regional president. “Now we can offer local residents and businesses all the benefits of Verizon Wireless’ network. We will open retail locations in several cities to make it more convenient for local customers to shop for and choose our wireless products and services.”

The project has taken three years to complete, and the investment is valued at $50 million. Each year, the company invests on average about a billion dollars every 90 days in its national network to further expand and enhance its wireless voice and data network and safeguard network reliability, in order to stay ahead of customer’s growing demand for voice and data service.

The company’s ‘most reliable national network’ claim is based on network studies performed by real-life test men and test women who inspired the company’s national advertising campaign. They conduct more than 300,000 call attempts monthly on Verizon Wireless’ and other national wireless carriers’ networks, while traveling over 100,000 miles of the most frequently traveled roadways nationwide in specially equipped, company-owned quality test vehicles.

Verizon Wireless’ national network reliability is also supported by industry-leading redundancy and maintenance measures, which have proven particularly valuable during natural disasters and other emergencies. Standard Verizon Wireless network reliability includes battery back-up power at all facilities as well as generators installed at all switching facilities and many cell site locations. The company also operates a fleet of mobile generators and temporary cell sites, or cells-on-wheels, ready for deployment for emergencies such as the Eastern Washington wildfires in 2004.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation’s most reliable wireless network, serving 45.5 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. 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.

[Steve B]

Originally Posted by Andy84094

Verizon Wireless Completes Major Network Expansion In Pacific Northwest
Verizon Wireless’ National Network Now Includes Eastern Washington, Northeastern Oregon And North Central Idaho



Media Contact Info

Georgia Taylor
Georgia.Taylor@VerizonWireless.com
425-603-2894



06/07/2005

BELLEVUE, WA — In a continuing effort to provide the most reliable wireless service for local residents, Verizon Wireless has expanded its digital network to include the Washington cities of Yakima, the Tri-Cities, Walla Walla, Ellensburg, Clarkston, and Pullman; as well as Pendleton, Hermiston and LaGrande in Oregon; and Lewiston and Moscow, Idaho. The expansion increases the company’s coverage in the region by more than 6,000 square miles.

“This is an important expansion for existing Washington, Oregon and Idaho customers, many of whom regularly travel to and from these cities where we have provided service through roaming partners,” said Kelley Kurtzman, Verizon Wireless regional president. “Now we can offer local residents and businesses all the benefits of Verizon Wireless’ network. We will open retail locations in several cities to make it more convenient for local customers to shop for and choose our wireless products and services.”

The project has taken three years to complete, and the investment is valued at $50 million. Each year, the company invests on average about a billion dollars every 90 days in its national network to further expand and enhance its wireless voice and data network and safeguard network reliability, in order to stay ahead of customer’s growing demand for voice and data service.

The company’s ‘most reliable national network’ claim is based on network studies performed by real-life test men and test women who inspired the company’s national advertising campaign. They conduct more than 300,000 call attempts monthly on Verizon Wireless’ and other national wireless carriers’ networks, while traveling over 100,000 miles of the most frequently traveled roadways nationwide in specially equipped, company-owned quality test vehicles.

Verizon Wireless’ national network reliability is also supported by industry-leading redundancy and maintenance measures, which have proven particularly valuable during natural disasters and other emergencies. Standard Verizon Wireless network reliability includes battery back-up power at all facilities as well as generators installed at all switching facilities and many cell site locations. The company also operates a fleet of mobile generators and temporary cell sites, or cells-on-wheels, ready for deployment for emergencies such as the Eastern Washington wildfires in 2004.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation’s most reliable wireless network, serving 45.5 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. 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.

I remember last year when spent some time in Eastern Washington. I was staying in Ephrata, I was in an Extended Network area. I wonder if this new network expansion includes Ephrata.

[Andy]

Yes, all coverage in Eastern WA was, until now, from a roaming agreement with USCC; this new expansion was done using VZW's PCS licenses for the area and I guess until they update their coverage locator we won't know exactly how extensive their new native coverage there is.
Interesting how they say that this has been worked on for 3 years and finally been launched; 3 years seems like a long time.

[agentHibby]

This is only the beginning of major expansions. Wait until next year there will be major expansions all over the place

[Andy]

Originally Posted by agentHibby

This is only the beginning of major expansions. Wait until next year there will be major expansions all over the place

Inside information?? I know you've posted some of that, like NC/SC, is there anything major planned for Utah?

[BKKloppenborg]

Originally Posted by Andy84094

Inside information?? I know you've posted some of that, like NC/SC, is there anything major planned for Utah?

lol wow don't get a heart attack dude...

[danny boi]

Originally Posted by BKKloppenborg

lol wow don't get a heart attack dude...

Nice to hear from you again. You haven't posted in a while right?

[agentHibby]

They only thing Verizon can add in Utah is PCS network in most of Utah and new coverage in Bair Lake (rich county).
a PCS network for EV-DO coverage will probably happen
I am sure Verizon will have a network out in Bair Lake, but I have no clue when.
Hopeing Salt Lake Metro gets EV-DO soon.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by agentHibby

They only thing Verizon can add in Utah is PCS network in most of Utah and new coverage in Bair Lake (rich county).
a PCS network for EV-DO coverage will probably happen
I am sure Verizon will have a network out in Bair Lake, but I have no clue when.
Hopeing Salt Lake Metro gets EV-DO soon.

I think we are very close- but that's just me.
Yesterday I was driving and I saw a VZW cell site where they just very very recently took away one of the shark fins from one sector and replaced it with a small, white panel, which looked like a PCS panel to me. There's no PCS voice up but I've heard of people saying EVDO is up here in certain areas.

[TProphet]

VZW also roamed on Sprint and Inland Cellular in the Palouse region, where there is no USCC license.

Originally Posted by Andy84094

Yes, all coverage in Eastern WA was, until now, from a roaming agreement with USCC; this new expansion was done using VZW's PCS licenses for the area and I guess until they update their coverage locator we won't know exactly how extensive their new native coverage there is.
Interesting how they say that this has been worked on for 3 years and finally been launched; 3 years seems like a long time.

[Andy]

Agreed, TProphet, thank you for the clarification. There's too many roaming partners in the area

[NYCDru]

Originally Posted by TProphet

VZW also roamed on Sprint and Inland Cellular in the Palouse region, where there is no USCC license.

So from someone who lives there, do you know if there service HAS gotten better in the last year?

[Rasputin]

Nice to VZW finally building out in E WA. I used to hate being on extended network around Walla Walla.

[Steve B]

Last summer when I was in Ephrata, I was on Extended Network. I dropped a couple of calls, but that isn't really the issue. I was getting irritated because I didn't have VMail notification when I was over there. LOL

[Steve B]

Just out of curiosity, I just went to VZW's site and used their coverage locator tool to look up the coverage for Ephrata and it still shows that entire area as Extended Network. I for some reason thought that their native coverage expansion included, Ephrata, Walla Walla, etc.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by SBacklin

Just out of curiosity, I just went to VZW's site and used their coverage locator tool to look up the coverage for Ephrata and it still shows that entire area as Extended Network. I for some reason thought that their native coverage expansion included, Ephrata, Walla Walla, etc.

does it show any of this new area as extended yet? Last time I checked, the whole area, including cities the press release said were covered, still showed as Extended Network.
I think they didn't update it yet.