Verizon Wireless To Offer High-Speed Wireless Broadband Services For Business Customers

NEW ORLEANS, LA; WASHINGTON D.C.; AND SAN DIEGO, CA — Addressing business customers' need for speed, security and mobility Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest wireless provider, announced plans to offer high-speed wireless data service for the mobile workforce that's comparable with wireline broadband connections. The company plans to market 1xEV-DO technology, offering wireless data speeds up to 2.4 Megabits per second (Mbps) following successful technology trials. Verizon Wireless will also offer Wi-Fi (802.11b) service, providing connections between the Verizon Wireless wide area network (WAN) and hundreds of 'hot spots' across the country.

Beginning in the third quarter 2003, Verizon Wireless' data customers in Washington and San Diego will be the first to take advantage of the new 1xEV-DO service and applications. With virtual private network (VPN) connections, data customers in both cities will be able to access the 1xEV-DO high-speed data network as an extension of their corporate local area network (LAN) or intranet, allowing them to work from any location as if they were in the office.

With secure peak data transmission speeds of up to 2.4 Megabits per second (Mbps), Verizon Wireless' 1xEV-DO service will be faster than GPRS and EDGE speeds. By comparison it would take GPRS service almost seven minutes and EDGE service one and a half minutes to download an email attachment (1 Meg file), with 1xEV-DO the file will be downloaded in just under 20 seconds.

1xEV-DO service will be ideal for remote access to corporate intranets and databases, corporate email with attachments, large file transfers and multimedia services like video and audio streaming.

In order to receive the increased data speeds, 1xEV-DO devices are required. Verizon Wireless plans to sell a wide array of 1xEV-DO devices including PCMCIA cards, modem solutions for the office and a wide range of the latest mobile devices.

Verizon Wireless To Offer Wi-Fi Service Beginning Q3

Also in the third quarter, Verizon Wireless, plans to offer complementary access between its own branded 802.11 service and its WAN. Recognizing the proliferation of Wi-Fi on corporate campuses and in travel related venues such as hotels and airports, Verizon Wireless is working with Wayport, Inc. to offer Wi-Fi service in popular indoor locations. Verizon Wireless will provide 24/7 network monitoring for the new service, plus authentication and billing. The new service will be available through Verizon Wireless' existing distribution channels including B2B sales teams.

"Our business customers have a need for speed, security, coverage and reliability when it comes to wireless access to data," said John Stratton, vice president and chief marketing officer. "We're going to meet their diverse needs by delivering customized, technologically advanced wireless solutions."

1xEV-DO: Technology Tested and Ready for Market

In 2002 Verizon Wireless conducted technology trials of 1xEV-DO in Washington with Lucent Technologies and in San Diego with Nortel Networks. Verizon Wireless will expand the technology in these two markets, powered by Lucent Technologies and Nortel Networks equipment, beyond the initial trial areas.

"We've had tremendous success with our 1XRTT Express Network launch and have closely monitored market demand for even higher speed wireless data services while evaluating advantages of technology and network improvements," said Dick Lynch, executive vice president and chief technical officer for Verizon Wireless. "The two market launches of 1xEV-DO and our plans to offer Wi-Fi service reaffirms our commitment to delivering the best technology, coverage and capabilities to our business customers."

Today's announcement is part of the company's leadership in serving business customers, from mobile professionals, to small and medium businesses, to large enterprises. With its premier nationwide network as a foundation, the company's solutions for these segments range from off-the-shelf voice tools, remote access and PIM applications, to custom vertical applications.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless is the nation's leading provider of wireless communications. The company has the largest nationwide wireless voice and data network and 32.5 million customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com.

####