Verizon Wireless Hosts Reprogramming Fairs At Three Eastern Iowa Area Stores

DAVENPORT, IA — Verizon Wireless is hosting the first of two Phone Reprogramming Fairs October 5-8 to prepare its customers for the approaching start date for mandatory 563 area code dialing in Eastern Iowa. The fairs will be held at three store locations: 5010 N. Brady St. in Davenport, 4500 16th Street in Moline and 2110 S. Park Ave. in Muscatine.

The new 563 area code has been in effect since March 25, 2001 but customers were given a transition period to adjust to the new practice. The transition period ends and mandatory 10-digit dialing begins December 2. Verizon Wireless wants to make sure all of its customers are aware that this new area code affects wireless phone numbers with the following prefixes: 249, 271, 299, 333, 340, 343 and 940. Customers with those prefixes need to have their phones reprogrammed or they will not be able to make calls after December 1. To reprogram their phones, Verizon Wireless customers may:

• Visit a Verizon Wireless store at anytime to have the reprogramming done.
• Attend the October 5-8 Phone Reprogramming Fair. The first 1,000 customers will receive a free ear-bud. Refreshments and other gifts will also be part of the four-day event.
• Attend the second Phone Reprogramming Fair, November 9-12, at the same three store locations.
• Call 1-866-840-6372 from a landline phone for step-by-step instructions for reprogramming their Verizon Wireless phones. Callers are asked to have their phone nearby, with a fully-charged battery.

"Verizon Wireless' customers use their wireless phones to conduct everyday business and keep in touch with family and friends," said Griselle House, District Manager-Retail Stores, for Verizon Wireless. "They depend on our service, so we're doing all we can to ensure that service is uninterrupted."

House added that Verizon Wireless has used several methods in recent weeks to inform its customers of the change, how it affects them and the necessary steps they should take to avoid service problems when the area code transition period ends. These efforts included a reminder message in monthly billing statements, newspaper ads and direct-mail postcards announcing upcoming programming fairs.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless is the largest wireless communications provider in the U.S. with more than 28 million wireless voice and data customers. The coast-to-coast wireless provider was formed by the combination of the U.S. wireless businesses of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD), including Bell Atlantic Mobile, AirTouch Cellular, GTE Wireless and PrimeCo Personal Communications. Verizon Wireless has a footprint covering more than 90 percent of the U.S. population, 49 of the top 50 and 97 of the top 100 U.S. markets. The company, headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, is 40,000 employees strong. Reporters and editors can find more information about the company on the Web at http://www.verizonwireless.com.

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