Marquett Smith Named Verizon Wireless Staff Vice President-Customer Service

BEDMINSTER, NJ — Marquett Smith has been named staff vice president of customer service of Verizon Wireless, the wireless leader in customer satisfaction and loyalty. His appointment is effective January 1, 2006.

Smith will support and coordinate the activities of Verizon Wireless' customer service organization, which supports more than 49 million customers. He formerly oversaw the company's network of more than 100 company-owned Verizon Wireless Communications Stores in the Washington D.C., Baltimore and Virginia markets and previously was director of the company's customer service center in Laurel, MD. Smith, a graduate of Radford University in Virginia, began his career in 1985 with Sprint in Reston, VA and held a series of executive positions of increasing responsibility in service and sales with America Online, Cybercash and Interliant.

"Marquett's extensive experience, managing both large customer contact centers as well as store sales operations, uniquely qualifies him to lead the company's continued improvement of the overall customer service experience for our growing base of customers," said Lowell McAdam, executive vice president and chief operating officer.

"In five years, our customer service organization has evolved into one of the best and biggest customer service operations in the telecommunications industry, and in U.S. business," said McAdam. "We have fostered a company culture that puts customers first and Verizon Wireless also has gained national recognition as a great place to work."

Smith replaces Pat Decker, who is retiring following a 35-year career in telecommunications, including leadership positions at Verizon Wireless, Pacific Telesis and AirTouch.

Verizon Wireless is the industry leader in customer loyalty and satisfaction. The company has posted the lowest customer turnover rate among major U.S. cell phone companies for the past four consecutive quarters and has been at the top of more surveys of customer satisfaction than any other wireless company.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 49.3 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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