Verizon Wireless Announces Roll Out of 3G Network in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS — Fulfilling its promise to begin a national 3G network rollout this summer, Verizon Wireless today announces the launch of its BroadbandAccess service in Las Vegas on July 28. Powered by an Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) third generation (3G) wide-area network, BroadbandAccess commercial service is one of the fastest wide-area wireless Internet access services available in the nation, with average user speeds of 300-500 kilobits per second (kbps). Developed with a range of users in mind, BroadbandAccess allows large enterprises, small-medium businesses and mobile professionals to conduct business anytime, anywhere in our BroadbandAccess coverage area via a secure, reliable, true high-speed data connection.

In greater Las Vegas, Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess coverage includes the Las Vegas Strip, North Las Vegas, Lakes of Las Vegas, Green Valley, Henderson, Summerlin, Southern Highlands, Aliante and Spring Valley. In October 2003, Verizon Wireless launched BroadbandAccess in San Diego, CA, extending from Oceanside south to National City and east to include Escondido, Poway and El Cajon; and Washington D.C. including coverage in the District of Columbia, the Reston and Alexandria, VA areas and the Rockville, MD area. Verizon Wireless will continue to launch the service in major cities across the U.S. this year.

"The fast, simple access that BroadbandAccess provides is changing the way the corporate world views wireless data. The service gives mobile workers full access to their corporate information stores just as if they were attached via a high-speed wired connection, but with the freedom of true mobility," said Andrew Seybold, principal in Outlook4Mobility and editor-in-chief of the 3GToday Newsletter. "Not only is BroadbandAccess easy to use, it is also easy to install and maintain, and requires only the same level of customer support as wired high-speed access. Verizon Wireless is on the path to the equivalent of the 'holy grail' in the wireless data world."

In addition to its ongoing annual capital investment program to build network capacity and coverage, Verizon Wireless expects to invest $1 billion over the next two years to deploy its EV-DO technology nationally. For the past four years, Verizon Wireless has committed $4 billion annually to its capital investment program.

"Today's successful professional is a mobile professional, and BroadbandAccess provides the means for Las Vegas professionals to stay connected anywhere in the city with a true mobile office experience. Verizon Wireless' advanced, reliable technology keeps our customers connected for all their communications needs," said Tami Erwin, regional president, Verizon Wireless.

Because it is backward compatible-a distinct advantage to using CDMA technology-customers who travel outside a BroadbandAccess coverage area with an EV-DO device will seamlessly switch to Verizon Wireless' existing NationalAccess network, based on 1xRTT technology.

Working with virtual private network (VPN) connections, enterprise customers can use BroadbandAccess as an extension of their corporate local area network (LAN) or intranet, allowing them to work from any location within the BroadbandAccess coverage area, as if they were in the office. BroadbandAccess, with average user speeds of 300-500 kilobits per second (kbps), is ideal for downloading files and business-critical information residing behind corporate firewalls and for accessing e-mail, intranets and the Internet. BroadbandAccess uses CDMA EV-DO technology that has its own data protection and authentication and is designed to work with a business' existing IT infrastructure and security solutions.

Enterprise customers can access information when they are on the road — at customer locations, at job sites, in taxis, or on trains — faster than with any competing wide-area technology. With data transmission bursts up to above 2 Megabits per second (Mbps), BroadbandAccess customers could download a 1 Megabyte email attachment (for example, a small PowerPoint presentation or a large PDF file), or receive three digital pictures (each 400 x 600 pixels) in less than 20 seconds, which is three to four times faster than using EDGE service, and as much as ten times faster than on a competitor's GPRS network.

BroadbandAccess customers can manage their remote access needs with VZAccess Manager, a new customizable tool that simplifies wireless remote access allowing users to stay connected to business-critical email, company databases, files and the Internet while mobile.

Later this year Verizon Wireless customers in many major markets will be able to use new EV-DO handsets and laptops equipped with PC cards to enjoy the many new fun and visual capabilities. They will be able to experience Get It Now® applications at broadband speed including multi-player gaming, music and video content, video messaging and other multi-media applications.

BroadbandAccess service is priced at a flat rate of $79.99 monthly access with a one- or two-year contract. Verizon Wireless customers can now buy the Verizon Wireless PC 5220 card for $149.99 after $100 rebate with a two-year service agreement or $199.99 with a one-year service agreement.

For more information on BroadbandAccess and Verizon Wireless data services, visit www.verizonwireless.com.  

(EDITORS: Broadcast-quality B-roll footage about BroadbandAccess is available online. Log on to www.thenewsmarket.com/verizonwireless to preview and request video segments, which can be received in newsrooms digitally, by tape or via satellite.)

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 40 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.  

NOTE: This press release contains statements about expected future events and financial results that are forward-looking and subject to risks and uncertainties. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The following important factors could affect future results and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements: materially adverse changes in economic conditions in the markets served by us, an adverse change in the ratings afforded our debt securities or those of Verizon Communications by nationally accredited ratings organizations, the effects of the substantial competition that exists in our markets, which has been intensifying, and which may intensify further as a result of local number portability regulations that allow wireless customers to retain their phone numbers when switching wireless service providers, our ability to obtain sufficient financing to satisfy our substantial capital requirements, including to fund capital expenditures, debt repayment and distributions to our owners, our ability to obtain sufficient spectrum licenses, particularly in our most densely populated areas, our ability to develop future business opportunities, including wireless data services, and to continue to adapt to the changing conditions in the wireless industry, our ability to receive satisfactory service from our key vendors and suppliers, our ability to generate additional subscribers, with acceptable levels of churn, from resellers and distributors of our service, material changes in available technology, and technology substitution that could impact the popularity and usage of our technology, our continued provision of satisfactory service to our subscribers at an acceptable cost, in order to reduce churn, the impact of continued unionization efforts with respect to our employees, regulatory developments, including new regulations that could increase our cost of doing business or reduce demand for our services, developments in connection with existing or future litigation, and changes in our accounting assumptions that regulatory agencies, including the SEC, may require or that result from changes in the accounting rules or their application, which could result in an impact on earnings.

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