Verizon Wireless Launches High-Speed Wireless Broadband Network Throughout Athens, Vinton, Jackson And Meigs Counties In Ohio

ATHENS, OH — Verizon Wireless announced today that it has expanded the national rollout of its 3G high-speed wireless network to portions of Athens, Vinton, Jackson and Meigs counties. The wireless broadband network will enable Verizon Wireless customers to access the wireless Internet, e-mail, mobile music, videos and more from their laptops and phones.

The network expansion covers the following communities:

• Ratcliffburg
• McArthur
• Dundas
• Prattsville
• Arbaugh
• Albany
• Hebbardsville
• Rolling Hills
• Shade
• Mount Blanco
• Mulga
• Roads
• Wellston
• Brocks Corner
• Pine Ridge
• Jackson
• Winchester
• Jisco Lake
• Brushy Fork
• Bedford Township
• Salisbury Township
• Rock Springs
• Pomeroy

The expansion improves voice and data coverage for community residents and commuters in the cities along the following major roadways:

• Along U.S. Route 50 as far east as Coolville and as far west as Ratcliffburg;
• Along U.S. Route 33 through Athens and Meigs counties as far north as the city of Shade and as far south as Pomeroy;
• State Route 32 through Athens, Vinton and Jackson counties, as far north as Rolling Hills and as far south as Jackson, including Jisco Lake;
• U.S. Route 35 through Jackson County as far north as Brocks Corner and as far south as Winchester.

This latest addition of Verizon Wireless’ broadband wireless network to 23 cell sites follows a nearly $17 million network investment made in this area earlier in the year. In June 2008, the company announced it had activated 46 new cell sites throughout these markets, enabling its customers living in and visiting the area to take advantage of enhanced wireless services while enjoying clearer reception and fewer dropped calls.

“Our high-speed wireless network gives our customers three key advantages in wireless communication: speed, mobility and security,” said Roger Tang, president – Ohio/Pennsylvania/West Virginia region, Verizon Wireless. “With these advantages, business customers and mobile professionals can increase productivity and see bottom-line business benefits. In addition, our V CAST services, such as V CAST Music with Rhapsody, help keep customers entertained while on-the-go – on the same devices they carry with them every day.”

BroadbandAccess
The rollout of a 3G wireless network into portions of Athens, Vinton, Jackson and Meigs counties enables Verizon Wireless’ business customers to experience a truly mobile office experience with BroadbandAccess, giving them access to their calendars, the Internet, e-mail and critical business information residing behind their companies’ firewalls. BroadbandAccess was developed with a range of users in mind and enables large enterprises, small- to medium-sized businesses and mobile professionals to conduct business anytime, anywhere in the BroadbandAccess coverage area via a secure, true high-speed data connection.

Customers in wireless broadband coverage areas can expect average download speeds of 600 kilobits per second (kbps) to 1.4 megabits and average upload speeds of 500-800 kbps, which means customers can download a 1 Megabyte e-mail attachment – the equivalent of a small PowerPoint® presentation or a large PDF file – in about eight seconds and upload the same-sized file in less than 13 seconds. To help customers stay connected, BroadbandAccess seamlessly switches over to the company’s NationalAccess service if a customer travels outside the BroadbandAccess coverage area.

V CAST Music with Rhapsody
The company’s broadband network powers its V CAST Music with Rhapsody service, which combines Verizon Wireless’ world-class, over-the-air mobile music service with Rhapsody’s leading desktop solution. Delivering unlimited monthly access to music on up to three V CAST Music with Rhapsody-compatible mobile phones and players, and online on up to three PCs, V CAST Music with Rhapsody lets customers who purchase music over-the-air download the master copy of the songs to their PCs free of digital rights management (DRM) software.

V CAST
The company’s V CAST service offers customers the ability to play cutting-edge 3D games and stream video clips straight to their handsets. V CAST provides content updated daily so customers can watch dozens of on-demand videos, including breaking news, weather, sports highlights and the hottest entertainment clips.

Network Technology and Investment
Verizon Wireless’ broadband network is based on CDMA 1x Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) technology and provides customers in the area with speeds significantly faster than the company’s NationalAccess service.

The multi-million dollar expansion includes the installation of high-tech wireless hardware and software in wireless transmission sites throughout the region. It is part of an ongoing network investment by Verizon Wireless, which has invested more than $48 billion since it was formed – $5.5 billion on average every year – to increase the coverage and capacity of its national network and to add new services. During the first half of 2008, the company invested more than $196 million in its Ohio network improvements.

For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.  

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 70.8 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 71,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit 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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