J.D. Power and Associates Ranks Verizon Wireless Highest In National Call Quality Study In Five Regions

BEDMINSTER, NJ — Verizon Wireless, owner and operator of the nation's most reliable wireless network, announced today that the company has been recognized for the "Highest Call Quality Performance Among Wireless Cell Phone Users" in five regions in the J.D. Power and Associates 2005 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study^SM. Verizon Wireless ranked highest or shared highest honors in more regions than any other U.S. wireless provider in this year's study. Verizon Wireless' continuous network investments and upgrades have resulted in top call quality and performance for its customers in five regions covering 43 states and the District of Columbia.

The J.D. Power and Associates Wireless Call Quality Performance Study employs a call quality index based on seven criteria that impact overall carrier performance. The wireless phone subscribers surveyed were asked about their experiences with static/interference, connection on first try, voice distortion, echoes, dropped/disconnected calls, immediate voice mail notification and immediate text message notification.

This year, 22,730 wireless subscribers nationwide were surveyed for the study. Verizon Wireless ranked highest in the following J.D. Power and Associates regions:

• Mid-Atlantic Region: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C. and West Virginia
• North Central Region: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin
• West Region: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming

Verizon Wireless shared highest honors in the following J.D. Power and Associates regions:

• Northeast Region: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and New York
• Southeast Region: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee

"Customers today continue to expect more of their wireless service and we work hard to stay ahead of those expectations," said Dick Lynch, executive vice president and chief technology officer for Verizon Wireless. "Our reputation as the most reliable wireless provider and the U.S. industry leader in customer loyalty* is a result of our continuing investment of billions of dollars in the network and the unwavering commitment of our team of engineers and technicians who turn this investment into quality service improvements for our customers. We pledge to continue this network investment."

Verizon Wireless is dedicated to delivering outstanding customer satisfaction by offering quality services including wireless call quality. The company has regularly invested more than $4 billion nationally each year since its inception — and more than $8 billion in the last 18 months — to expand and upgrade the nation's most reliable network. The company's 'most reliable wireless network' claim is based on network studies performed by real-life test men and test women who inspired the company's national advertising campaign. The engineers conduct more than four million calls annually on the Verizon Wireless network and other national wireless carriers' networks while traveling more than one million miles across the nation.

Verizon Wireless has been recognized consistently as the leader in the U.S. wireless industry, not only for its network coverage, products and services, but also for its customer service. In the first half of 2005 alone, Verizon Wireless posted the lowest customer churn rate among national carriers and topped more third-party surveys of customer satisfaction.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 47.4 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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