Verizon Wireless Boosts Super 3G Wireless Services For Football's Big Game, Year-Round Events In Miami

MIAMI, FL — With football’s big game once again set for Miami on Feb. 7, Verizon Wireless has completed installation of a permanent in-building “super system” at Sun Life Stadium, along with other network upgrades to ensure championship 3G wireless services throughout South Florida during the game and throughout the year.

The new system features two ground-level base stations and numerous antenna arrays around the stadium, including those installed on the 400-foot-high light towers.

The permanent system will handle twice the capacity of the most powerful mobile cell sites typically deployed at large special events.

“South Florida hosts many professional and college championships, big games and other major gatherings,” said Pam Tope, president of the Verizon Wireless Florida region. “We made this investment to ensure that we always have a strong wireless network for visiting fans, journalists and local wireless users whenever there is a big event.”

In addition to the new in-stadium system, Verizon Wireless also has teamed with Qualcomm on a brand new technology to optimize network performance during the Feb. 7 game. Qualcomm’s Engineering Services Group developed a new technology to address the special technical challenges of a wireless network serving a large number of users in a small geographic area.

“The new stadium system and our initiative with such a strong teammate as Qualcomm are the high-tech highlights of this total effort,” Tope said. “Our game plan has many components to deliver strong performance during special events – and every day.”

For the upcoming championship game, hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to visit South Florida to experience professional football’s “super spectacle” and will be using advanced wireless devices to make calls, send text and multimedia messages, download apps, surf the Web and more.

Verizon Wireless also has installed in-building systems to boost service in a variety of hotels and other destinations hosting events related to football’s championship game. The company also has activated and upgraded numerous cell sites around South Florida in past months to reliably handle increased network demand.

The work is part of Verizon Wireless’ overall continuing effort to enhance the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G broadband network. In Florida, the company invested $240 million in network improvements during 2009 and more than $2 billion in the state since 2000.

In 2010, Verizon Wireless plans to launch its 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless network – which will offer dramatically higher wireless speeds and reliability than even today’s most advanced 3G network – in 25 to 30 markets nationally. These markets have not been identified, but all recent network enhancements in Florida have been made to better prepare the network for the eventual rollout of 4G LTE technology.

For more information on the Verizon Wireless network and products and services, visit www.verizonwireless.com.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 91 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NASDAQ 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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