Laptop Magazine Selects Verizon Wireless for Laptop Editors' Choice Award for Best Overall Carrier

BEDMINSTER, NJ — Bedford Communications, Inc.'s LAPTOP magazine announced that Verizon Wireless, the nation's leading wireless provider and operator of the nation's largest and most reliable wireless network, has been awarded LAPTOP Editors' Choice Award for Best Overall Carrier. Verizon Wireless was selected because "As far as quality goes, Verizon Wireless is as definitive a winner as you can get. To find a cellular companion like Verizon Wireless in this day and age — that is, reliable and garble-free — is a beautiful thing." LAPTOP Editors' Choice Award for Best Overall Carrier is revealed in the article, "Wireless Winners and Losers" by Jon Gibson and Brian Nadel, in the May 2004 issue of LAPTOP magazine.

LAPTOP rated Verizon Wireless best overall, stating, "This carrier provided the most consistently excellent voice quality throughout testing. Nearly every call we made was free from fuzz, static, hisses, and echoes. We were no less impressed by the 2.5-second connection speeds."

"We are very pleased that LAPTOP has recognized Verizon Wireless with its Editor's Choice Award for Best Overall Carrier — our unwavering commitment to network quality is at the core of the products and services we have to offer to our customers," said Denny Strigl, president and CEO of Verizon Wireless. "As evidenced by our continuous investments in our network, Verizon Wireless is committed to continually improving our voice and data services by putting our money where our network is, all across the country."

Already this year, Verizon Wireless has invested more than $1 billion in the first quarter to install new cell sites, grow the network's capacity and engineer countless other service improvements to further strengthen the nation's largest and most reliable wireless network. This investment, separate from investments announced earlier this year for new broadband wireless services, allows Verizon Wireless to continually upgrade and expand its network for its growing number of wireless customers.

Every year since its launch, Verizon Wireless has invested more than any other U.S. wireless provider - more than $4 billion annually - to maintain and expand its high-quality network nationwide. Verizon Wireless again led the industry in network investments last year, dedicating more financial resources than any other wireless service provider to network enhancements.

For more information on Verizon Wireless' products and services, please visit www.verizonwireless.com.  

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 39 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. To receive broadcast-quality video footage of Verizon Wireless operations, log onto www.thenewsmarket.com/verizonwireless.  

About LAPTOP
LAPTOP is written for an audience of mobile enthusiasts. Every issue delivers hands-on product reviews, objective comparisons, ground-breaking coverage of the latest tech trends and insightful interviews with industry leaders. From cell phones, notebooks, PDAs, projectors, and wireless gear, to the latest in Wi-Fi and 3G, LAPTOP's got it covered. LAPTOP premiered in 1991 and has since flourished to become Bedford Communications' flagship publication. LAPTOP is published 14 times per year. For more information, visit www.techworthy.com.  

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