Tennessee Ranks #1 "Textiest" State In The Southeast According To Verizon Wireless Text Messaging Study

NASHVILLE, TN — Verizon Wireless, operators of the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, finds Tennessee customers as the "textiest" customers for sending and receiving the most text messages per month, according to results from the company's "Big City Wireless Use Study."

The study revealed that Verizon Wireless customers in Nashville earned the number one spot as the states "textiest city" with customers sending and receiving 819 million text messages from January to April 2008. Knoxville landed the number two position with over 420 million text messages during that same time period, while neighboring Chattanooga earned third place with 408 million text messages.*

The "Big City Wireless Use Study" was initially developed by Verizon Wireless to compare the growth in text messaging from April 2006 to April 2008 in the Southeastern states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. The study revealed an increase in text messaging among the company's Tennessee customers by 520 percent in 24 months (April 2006 to April 2008).

Tennessee City: #Text Messages Sent/ Received April 2008

• Cannon: 39,710,411
• Chattanooga: 111,638,629
• Clarkesville: 19,592,174
• Crossville: 89,440,680
• Jackson: 29,516,957
• Johnson City: 24,762
• Knoxville: 117,123,113
• Lawrenceburg: 8,369,135
• Lenoir: 50,509,348
• Maury 8,904,124
• Memphis: 37,501,895
• Nashville: 223,150,538
• Rockwood: 2,206,668
• Shelbyville: 67,229,841
• Sweetwater: 4,860,116
• Tri-Cities: 50,890,874
• Union City: 90,339,441
• Waverly: 4,122,424

"Our text messaging study offers an interesting snapshot of how Americans have come to rely on their cell phones every day to do much more than make phone calls," comments Jerry Fountain, Verizon Wireless president for the Carolinas/Tennessee region. "Text messaging is a great way to communicate information such as text and pictures quickly and efficiently and stay connected with family and friends all over the globe."

According to CTIA, The International Wireless Association for the Wireless Telecommunications Industry, text message sending and receiving jumped from 14.4 million in 2000 to 48.1 billion in 2007.

In 2006, Nashville was ranked the 10th "talkiest city" in a Verizon Wireless study that compares 50 of the most populated cities to determine nationwide which city's residents chatted the most on their cell phones. Results found that Verizon Wireless customers in Nashville made and received on average 225 calls per month.

For more information about text messaging products and services, visit www.verizonwireless.com or www.vtext.com.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 67.2 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 69,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, go to: 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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