In Season of Hurricanes, Test Men Report Verizon Wireless Network Outperforms the Competition

GULF COAST and TAMPA, FL and BEDMINSTER, NJ — In the aftermaths of hurricanes that swept through the Florida/Gulf Coast region of the U.S., Verizon Wireless Test Men and Women checked the company's wireless network and its competitors' in drive tests and found the Verizon Wireless network significantly outperformed the competition across the region, again living up to its reputation as the nation's most reliable wireless network.

The drive tests measured call attempts on Verizon Wireless' and other national carriers' networks along key routes and offered a snapshot of wireless customers' post-storm calling experience in areas most impacted by Hurricanes Frances and Ivan. The tests do not represent network performance for the entire coverage area. Verizon Wireless routinely uses drive tests throughout the U.S. to evaluate its network's performance and as part of its ongoing $4 billion annual network improvement program.

Driving along the Florida Turnpike and I-95 in Palm Beach, Saint Martin, Saint Lucie and Indian River Counties on September 7 following Hurricane Frances, Verizon Wireless Test Men and Women measured the success rate at placing wireless calls on the Verizon Wireless network and five other national carriers' networks. The "Call Success Rate" on the Verizon Wireless network measured 96 percent, compared to other carriers with call completion rates as low as 3 percent. Other competitors' call success rates in the same test ranged from 84 percent to 28 percent. Driving along the Gulf Coast from Slidell, LA, through Mississippi, Alabama and Pensacola, FL, following Hurricane Ivan, Verizon Wireless Test Men and Women on September 16 measured the Verizon Wireless Call Success Rate at 96 percent, while the competitor with the lowest ranked call completion rate came in at 15 percent. The range of the other competitors was 20 percent to 67 percent.

The Call Success Rates results from the two tests were as follows:

Hurricane Frances (Florida Region) — Sept. 7
Verizon Wireless 96%
Carrier A 84%
Carrier B 73%
Carrier C 34%
Carrier D 28%
Carrier E 3%

Hurricane Ivan (Gulf Coast Region - Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Pensacola) — Sept. 16 Verizon Wireless 96%
Carrier A 67%
Carrier B 60 %
Carrier C 20%
Carrier D 20%
Carrier E 15%

"More and more, customers depend on their wireless phones every day-and it's especially important for calls to go through during times of emergency," said Hans Leutenegger, Verizon Wireless' Vice President-Network for the South Area. "Verizon Wireless nationwide invests more than $1 billion every three months to improve and expand our network and to maintain the necessary back-up equipment and technology to keep our network strong in the event of an emergency. Our performance during the hurricanes is clearly a reflection of our readiness and responsiveness."

Verizon Wireless has been helping thousands of residents and emergency crews throughout Florida and the Gulf Coast regions weather the elements of Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan. Verizon Wireless has deployed technicians and equipment from across the country to ensure continued operation of its wireless network under storm duress. The company has also donated wireless phones and equipment to federal, state and local emergency responders, and set up Emergency Communications Centers to enable residents to contact loved ones, insurance companies and/or disaster relief agencies. The company has already donated more than 50,000 minutes of free airtime to victims of Hurricane Ivan through its Emergency Communications Centers.

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable network and invests more than $4 billion annually to maintain and expand its high-quality network nationwide. The company's most reliable network claim is based on the network studies completed by Test Men and Women, who conduct more than 300,000 calls monthly on the national Verizon Wireless network and other wireless carriers' networks while traveling more than 100,000 miles in specially-equipped company test vehicles.

Video footage illustrating Verizon Wireless' hurricane preparedness and relief efforts across Florida and the Gulf Coast regions, as well as video "B-Roll" of Verizon Wireless Test Men testing network performance is available at www.thenewsmarket.com/verizonwireless (under Media Assets).

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless is the nation's leading provider of wireless communications. The company has the largest nationwide wireless voice and data network and 40.4 million 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 receive broadcast-quality video footage of Verizon Wireless operations, log onto www.thenewsmarket.com/verizonwireless.

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