Bring Your Number With You As You Switch - Or Switch Back - To The Nation's Most Reliable Wireless Service Provider

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Two years ago, wireless customers in the United States began taking advantage of a great new consumer policy: they can take their number with them when changing wireless service providers. Among national service providers, only Verizon Wireless publicly supported the new wireless local number portability (LNP) policy as the option became available nation-wide on May 24, 2004. Since then, wireless customers from coast-to-coast have been the beneficiary of the LNP policy, and Verizon Wireless has overwhelmingly been the choice of switching customers.

By a wide margin, in the two years since customers have been able to switch service providers while keeping their phone numbers, more customers have come to Verizon Wireless than to any other wireless company. In the first quarter of 2006 alone, Verizon Wireless continued gaining on other wireless companies, with 2.4 to 1 ratio of customers moving their numbers to Verizon Wireless. And the ratio has been as high as 12 to 1 with one particular service provider.

As the two-year anniversary approaches, Verizon Wireless reminds all wireless customers that they continue to have the ability to switch service providers while keeping their numbers. And Lowell McAdam, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Verizon Wireless, said, "As the first wave of switchers may be seeing their contracts come up for renewal, it's the perfect time to switch to Verizon Wireless, with the nation's most reliable network."

McAdam added, "We especially want to welcome back any customers who left Verizon Wireless a year or two ago to try out somebody else's service. In those two years, our network has become even stronger, our multimedia services and handset lineup reflect the innovation we're becoming famous for, and we are winning accolades for significantly improved customer service. We're out to win you back."

Verizon Wireless is the nation's wireless leader in customer loyalty, based on company retention and turnover rates published by the largest providers. In the first quarter of this year, Verizon Wireless beat all competitors with its industry-leading churn rate - 1.18% - the lowest in the history of the U.S. wireless industry. Verizon Wireless has posted the best retention rates among large national wireless carriers for the past year and one-half.

Verizon Wireless invests heavily in its network to maintain its reputation as the only company in the country with the most reliable wireless network. The company has invested more than $30 billion nationally in the last six years — $5 billion on average every year since the company was formed — to increase the coverage and capacity of its national network and to add new services.

Wireless customers can learn more about local number portability at www.verizon.com/support/. To learn more about products and services from Verizon Wireless, customers can visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.  

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 53 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., 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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