$138 Million Invested In Florida Network During First Half Of 2012 To Enhance Coverage, Services For Customers Across State

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TAMPA, FL — Verizon Wireless invested $138 million in network enhancements in Florida during the first six months of 2012 to expand advanced wireless coverage and services to customers across the state.

The rapid rollout of Verizon Wireless 4G LTE wireless services, the nation’s fastest 4G wireless network, highlighted the company’s effort and investment in the first half of this year.  Verizon’s 4G LTE (Fourth Generation/Long-Term Evolution) network is now available to more than 85 percent of Florida’s population, after first being introduced in December 2010.

Nationally, Verizon Wireless 4G LTE covers two-thirds of the U.S. population in more than 330 major markets, which is six times the geographic coverage of its nearest competitor’s 4G LTE network.

“Continuing the speedy expansion of 4G LTE has been a priority to meet the great customer demand for these services, and to keep Verizon’s technology far in front of competitors for a long time to come,” said Frank Wise, network executive director for the Verizon Wireless Florida region.  “But it’s not just 4G, our teams also have devoted great resources to reinforce our leading 3G network and to handle numerous special projects and other priorities for Florida customers.”

Additional highlights of the Verizon Wireless $138 million Florida network investment so far this year include:

  • Activation of numerous new transmission sites, in addition to software and hardware upgrades to hundreds of existing locations, to reinforce 4G and 3G network coverage throughout the state.
  • The deployment of mobile cell sites and special network preparation for large sports and other events in Florida.  For example, the company’s first 4G LTE COW (cell on wheels) was utilized at the Daytona 500, and Verizon engineers already have spent thousands of man-hours installing high-tech equipment in key venues for the Republican National Convention to be held in Tampa later this summer. 
  • Upgrades to five “super-switch” network processing centers in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa Bay, Jupiter and Pembroke Pines.  The facilities are designed to withstand Category 5 hurricanes, feature large-scale on-site power generation, and numerous other back-up systems to ensure reliable handling of tens of millions of wireless calls and data transmissions each day.  The super-switches serve as the hub for network operations in the event of hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and any type of disaster response.
  • Installation of high-tech in-building systems that use dozens of small wireless transmitters to ensure strong inside coverage at high-priority public safety facilities such as police stations, emergency command centers and hospitals, as well as high-traffic wireless consumer locations such as hotels, resorts and tourist attractions.  One of the largest of these systems was installed in the new Miami Marlins ballpark in Little Havana.
  • Teams of technicians spanning the state in sophisticated vehicles to measure connection quality on the Verizon Wireless network versus other carriers.  The local test teams travel nearly 50,000 miles and make millions of voice and data connections each year to ensure network superiority.

Large investment to enhance network technology and reliability in Florida is an ongoing focus for Verizon Wireless.  Since the company formed in 2000, more than $1.4 billion has been invested to build and enhance Verizon Wireless network coverage and services for customers in the state.  Nationally, Verizon Wireless has invested more than $66 billion to increase the coverage and capacity of its premier nationwide networks and to add new services. 

For more information on the Verizon Wireless network, visit www.verizonwireless.com.

Editor’s Note: To accompany a Verizon Wireless network test vehicle or to tour a network “super-switch” facility, contact Chuck Hamby at 813-615-4803.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 94.2 million retail customers, including 88.8 million retail postpaid customers.  Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 78,000 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.

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