Verizon Wireless Introduces Five-State Home Calling Area For Arizona, New Mexico Customers

PHOENIX, Arizona — Verizon Wireless has introduced a new series of Regional Calling plans, starting under $20 a month, that enable Arizona and New Mexico customers to travel throughout five Southwestern states, and use their included anytime minutes to make and receive calls - free of roaming charges.

"We've found that most wireless users are regional roamers who frequently travel to nearby states and make numerous calls within the city they're visiting - arranging to meet friends or business associates, making dinner reservations and checking flight schedules," said Gallegos. "By eliminating roaming charges, our new Regional Calling plans provide a simple, affordable solution for our customers who wish to use their wireless phone as they travel throughout Arizona, New Mexico, California, Nevada and Hawaii."

With Verizon Wireless' new Regional Calling plans, wireless users can conduct business in California, take a road trip to Las Vegas or vacation in Hawaii and use their included minutes for calls - all without roaming charges.

Long distance charges still apply to calls to and from different local calling areas, for example: between Phoenix and Los Angeles. However, with most one-year, Regional Calling plans, customers may also choose either no long distance charges to anywhere in the U.S., or a package of 500 free Night and Weekend Minutes. Verizon Wireless also offers a selection of local and national calling plans designed to meet the specific lifestyle and wireless needs of Arizona and New Mexico residents, as well as Family Share Plans that enable two to four family members to share up to 800 anytime minutes.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless is the largest wireless communications provider in the U.S. with more than 25 million wireless voice and data customers and nearly 4 million paging customers. The new coast-to-coast wireless provider was formed by the combination of the U.S. wireless businesses of Bell Atlantic Corp. and GTE Corp --now Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) -- and Vodafone AirTouch Plc (LSE:VOD; NYSE:VOD). The new company includes the assets of Bell Atlantic Mobile, AirTouch Cellular, GTE Wireless, PrimeCo Personal Communications and AirTouch Paging. The new company has a footprint covering nearly 90 percent of the U.S. population, 49 of the top 50 and 96 of the top 100 U.S. markets. Verizon Wireless, headquartered in New York City and Bedminster, NJ, is 30,000 employees strong. Reporters and editors can find more information about the company in its Media Center on the Web at: http://www.verizonwireless.com/mediacenter.

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