Verizon Wireless Expands Wireless Broadband Network in Pennsylvania to Portions of Cambria, Franklin, Fulton, Indiana and Somerset Counties

Business Wire, Jan 7, 2008

High-Speed Network Gives Verizon Wireless Customers Access to Fast Wireless Internet, Email, Mobile Music, Videos and More

WARRENDALE, Pa. -- Verizon Wireless announced today that it has expanded the national rollout of its high-speed wireless network to portions of Cambria, Franklin, Fulton, Indiana and Somerset counties including the towns of Ebensburg, Indiana, Johnstown, Seven Springs and Somerset.

"These communities represent vital markets with dynamic, tech-savvy business people, students, visitors and residents who want to stay connected," said Roger Tang, president-Ohio/Pennsylvania/West Virginia Region, Verizon Wireless. "The launch of our broadband network here provides our customers with access to the very latest wireless technology."

With the wireless broadband network now available, Verizon Wireless customers in the area can enjoy two prime services:

* BroadbandAccess, the enhanced high-speed wireless service that equips Verizon Wireless' business customers with a truly untethered mobile office experience, enabling them to wirelessly access their calendars, the Internet, email and critical business information residing behind their companies' firewalls; and

* V CAST, a consumer-oriented multimedia service that gives customers access to the most comprehensive selection of downloadable music, high-quality videos and the coolest 3D games found anywhere.

BroadbandAccess

Based on Evolution-Data Optimized Revision A (EV-DO Rev. A) network technology, BroadbandAccess provides mobile workers with the ability to access their corporate information as if they were attached to this data via a high-speed wired connection but with the freedom of true mobility. Developed with a range of users in mind, the service enables large enterprises, small to medium-sized businesses and mobile professionals to conduct business anytime, anywhere in the BroadbandAccess coverage area via a secure, true high-speed data connection.

With BroadbandAccess, business customers, residents and visitors to the area can expect average download speeds of 600 kilobits per second (kbps) to 1.4 megabits per second and average upload speeds of 500 kbps to 800 kbps. That means they can download a 1 megabyte email attachment--the equivalent of a small PowerPoint([R]) presentation or a large PDF file--in about eight seconds and upload the same-sized file in less than 13 seconds.

BroadbandAccess also enables Verizon Wireless customers to download files approximately 10 times faster than customers of wireless service providers that use different broadly deployed network technologies. Furthermore, customers who travel outside the enhanced BroadbandAccess coverage area with an EV-DO device will switch seamlessly to the company's NationalAccess service.

"Our enhanced BroadbandAccess service gives our customers three key advantages in wireless communication--speed, mobility and security," Tang said. "With these advantages comes an increase in productivity and bottom-line business benefits."

V CAST: Video and Music

The company's wireless broadband network also enables its V CAST multimedia services, which offer customers the ability to download full-song tracks, play cutting-edge 3D games and stream video clips straight to the handset with top transmission speeds. With content updated daily, customers can watch dozens of on-demand videos, including breaking news, weather updates, sports highlights and the hottest entertainment clips.

With V CAST Music, Verizon Wireless has built a massive full-song mobile music store that contains more than 2.5 million songs--from well-known as well as independent artists--that customers can download over-the-air, directly onto their V CAST Music-enabled wireless phones.

Coverage

Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess and V CAST coverage in the area includes the following communities, universities, attractions and major roadways:

* Boswell;

* Carrolltown;

* Ebensburg;

* Geistown;

* Indiana;

* Johnstown;

* New Florence;

* Seven Springs;

* Somerset;

* Indiana University of Pennsylvania;

* The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown;

* U.S. Route 76 in Somerset County;

* Portions of State Route 219 between Ebensburg and Somerset;

* Portions of State Route 286 between Pittsburgh and Indiana;

* State Route 22 between Blairsville and Altoona;

* Hidden Valley ski resort.

The multi-million dollar expansion includes the installation of high-tech wireless hardware and software in wireless transmission sites throughout the region. Verizon Wireless has invested more than $40 billion since it was formed--more than $5 billion on average every year--to increase the coverage and capacity of its national network and to add new services. Nearly $1.4 billion of this investment was spent in Pennsylvania since 2001. In 2007, the company invested nearly $236 million in its Pennsylvania network improvements.

Verizon Wireless was the first national wireless provider to commercially launch a high-speed wireless broadband network in the United States. These communities in Pennsylvania are the latest to be added to the coverage, which is available to more than 210 million people across the country. For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.