Verizon Wireless Network Ready For G-20 Economic Summit In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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PITTSBURGH, PA — In preparation for the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh on September 24 and 25, Verizon Wireless has made significant upgrades to its voice and data network in the downtown area. These upgrades will improve the experience customers enjoy when they make voice calls, access the Internet and send text, picture or video messages.

Upgrades have been made to accommodate the anticipated increase in wireless device usage during the summit in portions of Pittsburgh, including around the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Phipps Conservatory, police headquarters and the Pittsburgh International Airport. Verizon Wireless' network is ready to handle an anticipated 20 percent increase in voice traffic and up to 200 percent more data transmissions during each day of the summit than during a normal day. The company, which operates the nation's most reliable voice and data network, has been working for weeks to ensure that its network is ready for the estimated hundreds of thousands of public officials, visitors and media representatives coming to the greater Pittsburgh area for the summit.

"We have made a significant investment in network improvements in preparation for this major event," said Roger Tang, president—Ohio/Pennsylvania/West Virginia Region, Verizon Wireless. "Our customers will be talking, texting, navigating and e-mailing with their wireless phones and devices at a record-setting pace. We are prepared, as we were with the Steelers' and Penguins' championship parades earlier this year, to accommodate a high amount of traffic on our network and to provide the reliable, high-quality network service our customers expect from Verizon Wireless."

COWs and COLTs on standby
As part of Verizon Wireless' network preparation for the summit, the company will have temporary cell sites, known as Cell on Wheels (COW) and Cell on Light Truck (COLT) on standby. These sites can process thousands of calls and data transmissions each hour and are designed for use at special events that demand additional network capacity. They will be deployed to downtown locations if additional network support is needed.

Our platform? A more reliable network for all
Verizon Wireless' network reliability is supported by industry-leading redundancy and maintenance measures, including back-up battery power at most facilities. For additional reliability, generators are installed at all switching facilities and many cell site locations. During the summit, a dedicated network Emergency Operations Center (EOC) will be staffed 24-hours-a-day.

Verizon Wireless has invested more than $50 billion since it was formed-$5.5 billion on average every year-to increase the coverage and capacity of its premier nationwide network and to add new services. Over the past 18 months, the company has invested more than $330 million in its Pennsylvania network.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and data network, serving 87.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 87,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit 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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