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Verizon Wireless Network Ready To Shine For Florida Vacationers


WEBWIRE

Company Completes Network Enhancements in Popular Vacation Destinations

04/18/2006, TAMPA — Just in time for the spring vacation season, Verizon Wireless, owner of the nation’s most reliable wireless network, has expanded and enhanced its network to prepare for visitors and residents alike at Sunshine State destinations including Orlando’s amusement parks, the Space Coast, historic Saint Augustine and the Florida Keys. Network expansions throughout Florida are designed to enable local businesses, residents and visitors to use their wireless phones concurrently to make calls, send and receive TXT and Picture Messages, and download games and ring tones while enjoying clearer reception and fewer dropped calls.

In the past few months, Verizon Wireless has expanded coverage and added new cell sites in popular vacation destinations, including:

- Orlando, FL - Construction of a $40 million switching facility in Orlando to improve wireless phone services and expand network capacity for customers throughout Central F lorida
- Saint Augustine, FL - New advanced digital cell site in the heart of the city’s historic district
- Boca Raton, FL - New advanced digital cell site near Lynn University to improve in-building wireless coverage on the university campus, as well as in and around Towne Center at Boca Raton, and along Interstate 95
- Cocoa Beach, FL - New advanced digital cell site on the popular “Space Coast” to expand wireless coverage to Patrick Air Force Base and provide continuous coverage along Pineda Causeway between Cocoa Beach and Satellite Beach
- Tarpon Springs, FL - New advanced digital cell site near Alternate U.S. 19, including the city’s historic sponge docks
- Marathon, FL - New advanced digital cell site to provide reliable coverage for visitors to the Florida Keys
- Clearwater, FL - New advanced digital cell site west of U.S. 19, as well as Belleair and Belcher roads
These new sit! es are p art of Verizon Wireless’ continuous, aggressive network investment – now totaling more than $30 billion nationwide during the past six years - to help the company stay ahead of growing demand for its wireless services throughout the country.

All enhanced coverage is the direct result of network studies, designed to improve Verizon Wireless’ network performance. The company’s ‘most reliable network’ claim is based on network studies performed by real-life test men and test women throughout the country. These engineers conduct more than 300,000 call attempts monthly on Verizon Wireless’ and other national carriers’ networks while traveling over 100,000 miles a month in specially equipped company-owned test vehicles.

Verizon Wireless’ network improvements were critical to the quick disaster response efforts by the company during the 2005 Hurricane season. Nearly 80 percent of all Verizon Wireless sites have their own back-up generator – in addition to battery power – to ke ep the network running even when the power supply is interrupted. As a result, in Florida, the Verizon Wireless network remained on-air while landlines and other wireless providers faltered.

For more information about Verizon Wireless, visit www.verizonwireless.com.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation’s most reliable wireless network, serving 51.3 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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