Verizon Wireless To Spend $16.8 Million Adding 3G Capacity To Its Indiana Network

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Verizon Wireless will spend $16.8 million in 2010 specifically to add more capacity to its advanced high-speed 3G network in Indiana, with $6 million of that amount dedicated to the greater Indianapolis area.

The statewide enhancements will ensure that Verizon Wireless customers can continue using their wireless devices to access the Internet, view high-quality videos, download music, games and ringtones, and send and receive e-mail.

This $16.8 million capacity-improvement project is part of the company’s overall $57.4 million investment planned for its Indiana network this year, which will also include building several new cell sites, among other initiatives. The project entails installing equipment on hundreds of cell sites across Indiana, thereby increasing data capacity of the network across the state and, specifically, by as much as 40 percent in the Indianapolis area.

“We stay well ahead of our customers’ growing needs by studying their data usage habits and test driving our network to experience firsthand the speeds and quality of our 3G network,” said Greg Haller, president – Indiana/Kentucky/Michigan Region, Verizon Wireless. “Network reliability is not just a catch phrase for us. It defines who we are.”

Verizon Wireless has invested more than $55 billion since it was formed – $5.5 billion on average every year – to increase the coverage and capacity of its premier nationwide network and to add new services. Since 2000, Verizon Wireless has invested $1.06 billion on improvements to its wireless network in Indiana.

About Verizon Wireless in Indiana
In Indiana, Verizon Wireless has more than 550 employees and 37 company-owned retail locations in 23 cities, including Anderson, Avon, Bloomington, Carmel, Clarksville, Columbus, Elkhart, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Greenwood, Indianapolis, Kokomo, Lafayette, Lawrence, Mishawaka, Merrillville, Muncie, Noblesville, Plainfield, Portage, South Bend, Terre Haute, Valparaiso and Warsaw.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 91 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ:VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: 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.  

####