Verizon Wireless Completes $14 Million Enhancement To Wyoming Network In 2004

CHEYENNE, WY — Verizon Wireless announced today it completed a $14 million investment in 2004 to enhance the company's digital network in Wyoming by updating transmission sites and other technology to improve call quality, increase coverage areas and enable a variety of advanced wireless data services, including multi-media messaging.

With major enhancements scheduled to continue through 2005, Verizon Wireless has invested more than $39 million over a three-year period in Wyoming network upgrades alone.

"We will continue to invest significantly in our network to serve Wyoming customers. Our mission is to deliver the most reliable wireless network in the state, with advanced capabilities. Wyoming is an especially important market to us given the high demand for wireless technology," said Verizon Wireless Regional President Jeff Mango.

Network upgrade highlights in Wyoming for 2004 include:

• Enhancements that expanded the company's call capacity by 70 percent, enabling the network to handle even more simultaneous voice and data calls. Network usage in Wyoming increased more than 70 percent in 2004 over 2003.
• Multiple additional cell sites, which, for example, improved coverage and capacity in Cheyenne, Laramie, Casper, Douglas, Jackson, and other areas in the state.
• Verizon Wireless activated a new, self-contained Cell on Light Truck (COLT), a mobile cell site, ready for immediate disaster response. The Wyoming-based COLT can also be deployed at special events for enhanced coverage and capacity.
• Upgrades to switching centers in Denver enhanced call capacity and network reliability for the Wyoming network.

The company's 'most reliable network' claim is based on network studies performed by the real-life test men and test women who inspired the company's national advertising campaign. These test men and women are Verizon Wireless engineers who make more than 300,000 test calls monthly on Verizon Wireless' and other national wireless carriers' networks while they travel more than 100,000 miles nationwide in specially-equipped, company-owned test vehicles.

Verizon Wireless' network reliability features include battery back-up power at all facilities as well as generators installed at all switching facilities and many cell site locations. The company also operates a fleet of mobile generators and temporary cell sites, or cells-on-wheels, ready for deployment.

Test Man Ride-Along Program
The specially equipped Verizon Wireless test vehicles simultaneously test seven wireless providers, using a computerized program to generate phonically diverse "conversations" as well as data transmissions. Members of the media who are interested in setting up an interview ride-along in Wyoming with a local member of the Verizon Wireless team of real-life test men and women, are invited to contact Bob Kelley at 303-694-8990 or email robert.kelley@VerizonWireless.com

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 42.1 million voice and data 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 preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.  

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