Verizon Wireless Spends Over $96 Million In 2007 To Enhance North Carolina's Wireless Network

RALEIGH, NC — Verizon Wireless announced today that $96 million was invested in 2007 to enhance and improve the company's voice and data wireless network across North Carolina, increasing the company's seven-year investment to over $815 million. The investment includes adding and updating cell sites and other technologies to improve call quality, increase coverage areas and allow a variety of advanced services for customers across North Carolina, with particular detail and investment across the eastern part of the state.

During the past year, Verizon Wireless customers across the state have benefited from increased coverage and enhanced wireless service. Along the coast, vacationers and beach residents in Wilmington and surrounding areas of New Hanover County have benefited from the Verizon Wireless investment. In particular, locations such as St. James community in Southport, along Sunset Boulevard and Seaside Road near Sunset Beach, and along Highway 211 in the Winding River area.

In the business triangle, the northeastern section of Greensboro received coverage enhancements as well as along Interstate 85 between Stem and Providence in the Raleigh-Durham area. Enhanced coverage in the western part of the state were seen in areas such as the eastern part of Morganton in Burke county and along Interstate 485, Highways 160, 521 and 321 throughout Charlotte.

Verizon Wireless opened several new retail stores during 2007 in the cities and towns of Asheville, Durham, Hendersonville, Kannapolis, and Wilmington — extending the company's customer service options and creating employment opportunities for many North Carolina residents.

"Providing our customers with the most reliable network in the wireless industry means making these large scale investments every year to deliver dependable wireless coverage," said Jerry Fountain, Verizon Wireless Carolinas/Tennessee region president. "By continually enhancing our network across North Carolina, we give residents more options for their wireless voice and data needs while advancing our goal to service the state from the mountains to the coast."

Verizon Wireless is committed to offering customers the most reliable service on the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network. To support that claim, the company's test engineers make more than 3 million voice call attempts and more than 16 million data tests annually on Verizon Wireless' and other national wireless carriers' networks while traveling almost 1 million miles of the most frequently traveled roadways nationwide in specially equipped, company-owned quality test vehicles. In fact, the company's "most reliable wireless voice and data network* in the nation claim is based on these network studies.

For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services in North Carolina, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or visit www.verizonwireless.com.

* Network details at www.verizonwireless.com/bestnetwork.  

EDITORS NOTE: Test Man Ride-Along Program for the News Media
Specially equipped Verizon Wireless test vehicles simultaneously test the Verizon Wireless network as well as the networks of as many as seven other wireless providers, using a mobile laptop computer to generate phonically diverse "conversations." If one of your reporters is interested in setting up an interview or ride-along test drive with your locally-based Verizon Wireless test man or woman, please contact Carly Culbertson.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 65.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 69,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, go to: 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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