Verizon Wireless: 100 Percent Of Wireless Broadband Network Now Enhanced With Faster Speeds

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Verizon Wireless announced today that all of its CDMA 1x Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) network nationwide has been enhanced to Revision (Rev.) A technology. The enhancements throughout the company's wireless broadband network provide customers from coast to coast with access to e-mail, everyday corporate data, the Internet and more at faster speeds and the ability to upload files eight to nine times faster than before.

"Earlier this year, we announced we were making the nation's first wireless broadband network even better by significantly improving network speeds and performance," said Dick Lynch, executive vice president and chief technical officer for Verizon Wireless. "In just the first two quarters of this year, we made that pledge a kept promise. When other carriers still operate networks that don't allow customers to download music over-the-air or access e-mail at speeds faster than dial-up, Verizon Wireless is meeting the needs of more than 210 million people with wireless music downloads, faster access to e-mail and true wireless broadband Internet browsing."

The enhanced network allows Verizon Wireless customers to download files at speeds as much as ten times faster than customers of other wireless service providers that use different broadly deployed network technologies.

BroadbandAccess at Faster Speeds
The company's flagship business data service, BroadbandAccess, runs faster and more efficiently with the new network enhancements; customers can take advantage of upload speeds that are eight to nine times faster than before plus interact with Web-based applications with improved latency for an even better experience. For example, BroadbandAccess customers with Rev. A-compatible devices can now expect average download speeds of 600 kilobits per second (kbps) to 1.4 megabits per second and average upload speeds of 500-800 kbps, which means customers can download a 1 Megabyte e-mail attachment — the equivalent of a small PowerPoint^® presentation or a large PDF file — in about eight seconds and upload the same-sized file in less than 13 seconds.

Devices that take advantage of the faster speeds provided by the EV-DO Rev. A network enhancements include the USB720 wireless modem, V740 ExpressCard, AirCard 595 and PC5750 PC Cards from Verizon Wireless, which are fully compatible with the company's enhanced and existing wireless broadband networks and the company's NationalAccess network (based on CDMA 1xRTT technology).

Network Testing
Verizon Wireless dedicates a team of technical professionals, real-life "test men and women" across the country, to monitor and test the network every day to ensure efficient operation. The quality testing teams drive a fleet of 98 specially equipped test vehicles almost 1,000,000 miles annually on city streets, major highways, secondary roads and rural roads to test network performance, call quality and data network performance on the Verizon Wireless network and the networks of up to seven other wireless carriers. Annually, they place more than three million test calls and perform 16 million data tests.

The information they gather is used not only to compare performance with competitors', but also to help engineers plan the company's annual $6 billion network improvement program, including placement of new cell sites and expansion of existing call capabilities in growing communities. Verizon Wireless has invested $37 billion in the last seven years to increase the coverage and capacity of its national network and to add new services.

For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.  

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 60.7 million customers. The largest US wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 66,000 employees nationwide. The company 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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