Miami Wireless Customers Make Most Calls, Verizon Wireless Study Finds

Customers From Los Angeles, Detroit, El Paso And Las Vegas Also Among Top 5 Cities In Study Of Who Calls Most

09/07/2006 - BASKING RIDGE, NJ — If you think people in Miami make a lot of calls on their wireless phones, you’re right.

The average Verizon Wireless customer from Miami makes and receives more calls than Verizon Wireless customers from any other major U.S. city, according to the first Big City Wireless Use Study by Verizon Wireless, owner and operator of the nation’s most reliable wireless network. The other cities among the top five are Los Angeles, Detroit, El Paso and Las Vegas.

“Even with all of the interest in new data services, the fact remains that our millions of customers coast-to-coast still look to Verizon Wireless for the fundamental and vital service of making and receiving calls – it’s what we do, first and foremost,” said Dick Lynch, chief technology officer and executive vice president-Network for Verizon Wireless.

With big cities defined as the top 50 by population based on U.S. census data, the Verizon Wireless study found Miami customers made and received an average of 298 calls per month – 9 to 10 calls daily – far and away the most calls on average of any major city. The study found that customers from Los Angeles talked second most, averaging 260 calls per month, just fewer than 9 calls per day. Rounding out the top five were Detroit, El Paso and Las Vegas, in that order, where wireless customers averaged more than 235 calls monthly.

Customers in the five most populous American cities, according to the U.S. Census, averaged more than 200 calls per month. Los Angeles customers placed second with an average of 260 calls per month, New York City placed 11th with 224 calls, Houston placed 19th with 214 calls monthly, Chicago placed 24th with 208 calls and Philadelphia placed 27th with 203 calls.

“Our study offers an interesting snapshot of how Americans have come to rely on their wireless service every day at home and on the road,” said Lynch. “That’s why we work so hard to ensure the quality and reliability of the nation’s most reliable wireless network, and to deliver the best wireless experience for our customers.”

The company’s most reliable wireless network claim is based on network studies performed by real-life test men and test women who inspired the company’s national advertising campaign. These engineers conduct more than 750,000 voice call attempts and 1.4 million data tests quarterly on Verizon Wireless’ and other national carriers’ networks while traveling more than 225,000 miles in specially equipped, company-owned test vehicles.*

Verizon Wireless has invested $30 billion in the last six years – $5 billion on average every year since the company was formed – to increase the coverage and capacity of its national network and to add new services. For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com.

The cities where wireless users averaged more than 200 calls per month were, in order of highest combined incoming and outgoing calls:

Miami, Fla. – 298
Los Angeles, Calif. - 260
Detroit, Mich. - 252
El Paso, Texas - 251
Las Vegas, Nev. - 235
Long Beach, Calif. - 233
Cleveland, Ohio - 230
Fresno, Calif. - 229
Memphis, Tenn. - 228
Nashville, Tenn. - 225
New York City, N.Y. - 224
San Jose, Calif. - 221
Fort Worth, Texas - 220
Scottsdale, Ariz. - 217
Dallas, Texas - 217
Phoenix, Ariz. - 217
Albuquerque, N.M. - 216
Atlanta, Ga. - 216
Houston, Texas - 214
Austin, Texas - 213
Mesa, Ariz. - 212
Milwaukee, Wis. - 211
Charlotte, N.C. - 211
Chicago, Ill. - 208
Tucson, Ariz. - 205
Virginia Beach, Va. - 204
Philadelphia, Pa. - 203
Indianapolis, Ind. - 201
San Diego, Calif. - 201

Callers from other big cities who made and received fewer than 200 calls were:

San Francisco, Calif.
Jacksonville, Fla.
Oakland, Calif.
Denver, Colo.
Wichita, Kan.
Baltimore, Md.
Kansas City, Mo.
Columbus, Ohio
Omaha, Neb.
Tacoma, Wash.
Portland, Ore.
Sacramento, Calif.
Boston, Mass.
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Seattle, Wash.
Minneapolis, Minn.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Washington, D.C.
New Orleans, La.
Tulsa, Okla.
Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Verizon Wireless study counted incoming and outgoing calls and minutes of use data that is routinely collected by the company for one month during the first half of this year. Calls – which were counted based on home billing addresses – may have been made anywhere in the U.S. customers traveled, as well as in the callers’ home cities. No private, individual customer records or information was examined or used for the purposes of this informal study.

*Test Man Ride-Along Program Note to Editors and Reporters
A fleet of specially equipped Verizon Wireless test vehicles coast-to-coast are dedicated to year-round testing the Verizon Wireless and other wireless providers’ networks, using mobile laptop computers to generate phonically diverse “conversations.” The drive tests provide the basis for the Verizon Wireless claim to the most reliable nationwide wireless network, and also are used to fine tune and improve our network. Members of the news media interested in a ride-along test drive and/or interview with a local Verizon Wireless test man or woman in your city or town are invited to contact Tom Pica of Verizon Wireless Corporate Communications at 908-559-7516, or by sending an e-mail to him at thomas.pica@verizonwireless.com.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation’s most reliable wireless network, serving 54.8 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., 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.

Contact Information

Tom Pica

Media Contact

Verizon Communications

Contact via E-mail