Upper Peninsula Of Michigan Residents To Benefit From Verizon Wireless Network Enhancements In Marquette

MARQUETTE, MI — Verizon Wireless has activated eight new cell sites across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which improve voice and data coverage throughout the Upper Peninsula in the following locations:

• In and around the city of Iron River and northwest of the city along County Highway 2 in the Ottawa National Forest.
• In and around the area of Golden Lake in the Ottawa National Forest along County Highway 2.
• In and around the areas covering State Highway 45 and County Highway 28, by the communities of Ewen and Bruce Crossing.
• In the Ottawa National Forest to the east of Bond Falls along Old US Highway south of Bruce Crossing.
• Along County Highway 35 from the Escanaba State Forest north to the city of Escanaba.
• Along State Highway 41 from the city of Powers east to the city of Escanaba.
• In and around the city of Amasa along State Highway 141.
• In and around the city of Ontonagon.

The new cell sites, which are each equipped with a permanent backup generator for times of emergency, empowers more Verizon Wireless customers to rely on their wireless phones for social networking, Internet browsing, downloading apps, exchanging e-mail and text, picture and video messaging as well as making calls.

“Our customers rely on their wireless devices for virtually all of their communication needs,” said T.J. Fox, region president, Verizon Wireless. “Ten years ago, ensuring they could make clear calls and stay connected was our top priority. That still is and always will be important. Additionally though, we closely monitor all other network usage, such as Internet browsing and downloading apps or music, and make improvements accordingly, so that our customers’ experience on our network is seamless regardless of how they want to use their phone.”

In addition to the ongoing investment in its 3G network, Verizon Wireless recently launched the world’s first large-scale 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network to 38 major metropolitan areas and 60 commercial airports. This initial launch covers more than 110 million people – more than one third of all Americans. By 2013, Verizon Wireless will have full nationwide 4G LTE coverage everywhere the Verizon 3G network is available today.

Verizon Wireless expects 4G LTE average data rates to be 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink in real-world, loaded network environments. These speeds are significantly faster than Verizon Wireless and other wireless providers’ current or promised 3G network speeds.

Verizon Wireless has invested more than $60 billion since it was formed – $5.7 billion on average every year – to increase the coverage and capacity of its premier nationwide network and to add new services. Since the company was formed in 2000, Verizon Wireless has invested more than $1.4 billion on improvements to its wireless network in Michigan, including more than $209 million in 2009.

Learn More:
Stay in the know about Verizon Wireless news in the Wisconsin/Wisconsin Region follow @VZWCarolyn on Twitter at http://twitter.com/vzwcarolyn. For the latest network-related news, information and upgrades, follow @VZWNetwork on Twitter at http://twitter.com/VZWNetwork.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s fastest and most advanced 4G network and largest and most reliable 3G network, and serves more than 93 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 80,000 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.

####