Verizon Wireless Expands 3G Broadband Wireless Network in Arizona

PHOENIX, AZ — Verizon Wireless, the first national wireless provider to commercially launch high-speed wireless broadband services in the United States, today launched an expansion of its high-speed wireless network in the Valley of the Sun.

Verizon Wireless' EV-DO (Evolution Data-Optimized) network provides customers with access to V CAST, the nation's first wireless broadband multimedia service for consumers and BroadbandAccess, the fastest wide-area wireless Internet access service available in the nation.

The company increased the number of EV-DO-capable sites within its Valley of the Sun coverage area by nearly 30 percent, giving customers a more robust wireless broadband data experience. In the Valley of the Sun, Verizon Wireless' EV-DO coverage area includes Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Glendale, Peoria, Cave Creek, Surprise, Sun City, Apache Junction, Avondale and Buckeye.

"By further expanding our EV-DO-capable sites within the Valley, customers will now have a richer broadband wireless experience," said Tami Erwin, region president for Verizon Wireless. "This is part of our investment to provide Verizon Wireless customers with the most up-to-date services on the most reliable network, where they work and where they live."

Verizon Wireless first introduced BroadbandAccess to greater Phoenix in January 2005.

The company has invested more than $4 billion annually on the build-out and enhancement of its networks since the company's inception in 2000, and last year alone it invested $5 billion, including build-out of the wireless broadband EV-DO network. In Arizona, Verizon Wireless invested more than $70 million in network enhancements in 2004.

V CAST

Verizon Wireless' V CAST service enables consumers to access short video content on-demand, viewing current news, weather, sports and entertainment programming. With V CAST, customers can download and play cutting-edge 3D games, watch music videos and concert performances from favorite artists, view short programs specifically designed for mobile phones and other video content right on their phones. For a list of all videos and 3D game entertainment available on V CAST, visit www.getvcast.com.

For $15.00 monthly access added to their Verizon Wireless calling plan, customers in the Valley of the Sun can get the V CAST VPak which includes unlimited access to a wide array of more than 300 daily updated video clips from leading news, sports, weather and entertainment content providers. Verizon Wireless V CAST customers also receive monthly access and unlimited browsing on Verizon Wireless' Mobile Web 2.0^SM news and information service. For a limited time, customers who sign up for V CAST receive one month of service free.

BroadbandAccess

The company's highly-touted BroadbandAccess service, available to mobile professionals and enterprise customers, allows customers to connect wirelessly to the Internet via their laptop at broadband speeds.

The nation's largest and fastest wireless broadband service, BroadbandAccess is faster than any competing widely available wide-area wireless data service. Because EV-DO technology is backward compatible — a distinct advantage to the company's CDMA technology — customers who travel outside a BroadbandAccess coverage area with an EV-DO device will seamlessly switch to Verizon Wireless' existing NationalAccess service, which runs on the company's 1xRTT network.

Working with virtual private network (VPN) connections, business 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 typical user download speeds of 400-700 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' EV-DO technology has its own data protection and authentication and is designed to work with a business' existing IT infrastructure and security solutions.

BroadbandAccess is available for $79.99 monthly access for unlimited use with a one- or two-year customer agreement. For more information on BroadbandAccess from Verizon Wireless, visit www.verizonwireless.com/broadbandaccess.

EV-DO Network

V CAST and BroadbandAccess run on Verizon Wireless' EV-DO network, which began commercial operation in October 2003 in San Diego and Washington, D.C and is now the nation's largest and fastest wireless broadband network. Verizon Wireless' EV-DO network initially made its commercial debut with BroadbandAccess wireless Internet access service for business customers and mobile professionals. The company launched its V CAST wireless broadband multimedia service in February 2005.

Verizon Wireless expanded the EV-DO coverage area — the V CAST and BroadbandAccess service areas — to cover 75 million Americans by the end of 2004. The company's expansion strategy includes adding new markets and expanding network coverage in existing markets.

For more information on V CAST or BroadbandAccess from Verizon Wireless, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com. Business customers can contact a Verizon Wireless Business Sales Representative directly at 1-800-VZW-4-BIZ.

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

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 45.5 million voice and data 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 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.

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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