Verizon Wireless Soon To Cover Georgia Border To Border With Digital Service

ATLANTA, GA — In a continuing effort to provide the highest quality wireless service to its customers, Verizon Wireless is expanding its digital service area in north Georgia to cover the state border to border, from Alabama to South Carolina. Through network enhancements, Verizon Wireless has provided 3,300 square miles of newly enhanced digital technology.

Most recently, Verizon Wireless converted 12 cell sites in northeast Georgia from analog to digital, providing enhanced capacity and coverage. Some of the towns that will benefit include Greensboro, Bostwick, Lake Oconee, Rayle, Lake Hartwell, Elberton, Monticello, Eatonton, Lexington, Washington, Lincolnton and Madison, and three additional sites in the area will be converted within the next 90 days.

Network improvements are also under way in an area west of Atlanta including parts of Haralson, Heard, Coweta, Carroll and Troup counties. Verizon Wireless is converting its network in this area from TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) technology to CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), offering customers the highest quality wireless service. Customers have already begun upgrading to CDMA phones. Conversions in these areas are expected to be complete by the end of the second quarter 2001, at which time Verizon Wireless will offer digital coverage to customers spanning northern Georgia from Alabama to South Carolina.

In addition to these network conversions, Verizon Wireless recently opened a new retail communications store in Gainesville, Georgia, and is now offering customers in that market the benefit of having digital coverage throughout the metro Atlanta service area. The digital improvements will allow customers to utilize enhanced wireless services like Caller ID, Mobile Web and Text Messaging.

"By offering fully digital networks across the state, we can more completely ensure the quality of our service and the satisfaction of our customers," said Jim McGean, president-Georgia Region for Verizon Wireless.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless is the largest wireless communications provider in the U.S. with 27.5 million wireless voice and data 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 (NYSE and LSE: VOD). The new company includes the assets of Bell Atlantic Mobile, AirTouch Cellular, GTE Wireless, PrimeCo Personal Communications and AirTouch Paging. The 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 Bedminster, NJ, is 38,000 employees strong. Reporters and editors can find more information about the company on the Web at http://www.verizonwireless.com.

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