Verizon Wireless And Vodafone Introduce GlobalAccess Wireless Broadband Service For International Travelers

BEDMINSTER, NJ — Verizon Wireless, owner and operator of the largest national wide-area wireless broadband network in the United States, in conjunction with Vodafone today announced GlobalAccess — a new service that gives business travelers unprecedented mobile versatility. GlobalAccess provides Verizon Wireless business customers with a two-card solution that gives them secure connection to the Internet in more than 60 major metropolitan markets in the United States, as well as in Canada and in 50 countries throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa.

In the United States, Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess, the company's premier service for businesses, gives mobile professionals a fast resource to help them be productive and in touch with the office and customers while traveling domestically. Running on Verizon Wireless' Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) network, BroadbandAccess gives mobile professionals the ability to use their laptops to tap into applications and tasks with typical user download speeds of 400-700 kilobits per second (kbps) — making it ideal for downloading files residing behind corporate firewalls, accessing e-mail, intranets and the Internet.

While operating outside of the United States, GlobalAccess runs on Vodafone's high-speed 3G network with data rates of up to 384 kbps using the Vodafone Mobile Connect 3G/GPRS where available, acting as an extension of Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess service. This high-speed connection allows Verizon Wireless customers to download complex files and large e-mail attachments quickly and easily — while traveling abroad.

As with Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess service for business customers, GlobalAccess is a wide-area wireless data service. With GlobalAccess, customers are not limited to the 300-foot range of Wi-Fi or confined to working in a hotel room — they can work when and where they need to and experience the freedom of mobility. For ease of use, the two-card solution — one for accessing Verizon Wireless' EV-DO BroadbandAccess service and the other for Vodafone Mobile Connect 3G/GPRS — includes software that detects which data card has been inserted in the laptop and launches the dashboard client for connection to the appropriate service. Through Vodafone's networks and its roaming agreements, GlobalAccess can be used in up to 50 countries.

Cindy Patterson, vice president of enterprise data for Verizon Wireless, said "Many of our enterprise customers have large numbers of employees who spend time traveling internationally. Our relationship with Vodafone allows us to offer our customers access to our industry-leading wireless broadband network in the U.S. and Vodafone's highly-successful Mobile Connect 3G data card and dashboard software, resulting in a best-in-class wireless experience when they travel — domestically or abroad."

Pricing for GlobalAccess
Verizon Wireless GlobalAccess customers can get unlimited use in the United States and Canada, and up to 100 MB of usage in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and in other Western European (Tier 1) countries for only $129.99 monthly access with a one- or two-year customer agreement (see complete list below). Other countries (Tier 2), such as Australia, Brazil, China, Israel, Hong Kong, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan and Thailand are billed at just $0.03 per KB, enabling customers to connect with the office in more than 50 countries around the globe.

For the less frequent international business traveler, Verizon Wireless also offers a pay-per-use plan for customers on existing unlimited BroadbandAccess or NationalAccess plans. This option gives occasional travelers flexibility for international wireless data, with prices including $0.002 per KB in Canada, $0.02 per KB in Tier 1 countries and $0.03 per KB in Tier 2 countries.

GlobalAccess PC Cards
Customers can purchase Global Cards — two PC Cards — one for accessing Verizon Wireless' EV-DO network and its BroadbandAccess service and the other for access to Vodafone's 3G/GPRS network. The Verizon Wireless V620 and Verizon Wireless U630 are available for $279.98 with a two-year customer agreement or $379.98 with a one-year customer agreement. Existing BroadbandAccess customers can also purchase the Verizon Wireless U630 Global PC Card separately and use their existing BroadbandAccess PC Card they already own for GlobalAccess. The Verizon Wireless U630 Global PC Card is available for $179.99 with a two-year customer agreement or $229.99 with a one-year customer agreement.

For more information on Verizon Wireless EV-DO products and services, including GlobalAccess and BroadbandAccess, 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.

GlobalAccess from Verizon Wireless is available in the following countries:

Tier 1 Countries
Belgium
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Netherlands
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom

Tier 2 Countries
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bosnia/Herzegovina
Brazil
Bulgaria
China
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
Hong Kong
Indonesia
Israel
Kuwait
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malaysia
Malta
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Romania
Russia
Serbia/Montenegro
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
Venezuela

BroadbandAccess in the United States
Today, Verizon Wireless' EV-DO network includes 61 of the major metropolitan areas and airports from coast to coast so customers can use BroadbandAccess in the following major metropolitan markets:

State/Market
Arizona
1. Phoenix

California
2. Los Angeles (includes Burbank and Ontario)
3. Orange County
4. Sacramento
5. San Diego
6. San Francisco

Colorado
7. Denver

Connecticut
8. Hartford
9. New Haven
10. New London

Delaware
11. Wilmington

District of Columbia
12. Greater Washington

Florida
13. Ft. Lauderdale
14. Jacksonville
15. Miami
16. Orlando
17. Tampa/St. Petersburg
18. West Palm Beach

Georgia
19. Athens
20. Atlanta

Illinois
21. Chicago

Indiana
22. Indianapolis

Kansas
23. Kansas City (also in MO)

Kentucky
24. Louisville

Louisiana
25. Baton Rouge
26. Lake Charles
27. New Orleans

Maryland
28. Baltimore

Massachusetts
29. Boston

Michigan
30. Detroit

Minnesota
31. Minneapolis

Missouri
Kansas City (also in KS)
32. St. Louis

Nevada
33. Las Vegas

New Jersey
34. Newark/Jersey City
35. Trenton

New York
36. Long Island (Suffolk and Nassau counties)
37. New York
38. Rochester
39. Syracuse

North Carolina
40. Charlotte
41. Raleigh Durham

Ohio
42. Akron
43. Cincinnati
44. Cleveland
45. Columbus
46. Dayton

Oregon
47. Portland

Pennsylvania
48. Philadelphia
49. Pittsburgh

Rhode Island
50. Providence

Tennessee
51. Knoxville

Texas
52. Austin
53. Beaumont
54. Dallas
55. Fort Worth
56. Houston
57. San Antonio

Virginia
58. Richmond

Washington
59. Seattle

Wisconsin
60. Madison
61. Milwaukee

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 47.4 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.  

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