Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Ski Enthusiasts And Residents Benefit From Verizon Wireless 3G Network Expansion

New Cell Sites Added to Keep Residents Connected to Text, E-mail, Music and Mobile Web.

SCRANTON, PA.
* Improves coverage and capacity at Snö Mountain Ski Resort, as well as the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
* Provides access to high-speed wireless broadband service
* Part of $100+ million network investment in Philadelphia Tri-State Region in 2009

Wireless calling, text messaging and surfing the Mobile Web on the Verizon Wireless high-speed 3G network will be easier and faster for Scranton skiers and Old Forge residents this winter, thanks to the activation of two new cell sites in Lackawanna County.

The first new site increases coverage and capacity at Snö Mountain Ski Resort including in the resort’s lodge and along Montage Mountain Road, as well as at the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain.

The second site enhances coverage and capacity throughout the boroughs of Old Forge, Moosic and Duryea, as well as along Route 11 from Avoca to the intersection of Interstate 81, Main Street, South Main Street and McAlpine Street.

With the improved network coverage, customers can use their wireless devices to send and receive e-mail and text, picture and video messages; view high-quality videos; and access VZ Navigator(SM)’s turn-by-turn directions, while enjoying clearer reception and fewer dropped calls. The Verizon Wireless network also is built for reliability during emergencies, such as power outages and extreme weather conditions, with redundancy capabilities in place to maintain service for customers when they need it the most.

These network enhancements are part of Verizon Wireless’ aggressive multi-billion dollar network investment each year to stay ahead of the growing demand for the company’s voice and data services. Verizon Wireless has invested more than $145 million to enhance services and coverage across central, northeastern and southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware so far in 2009, bringing the network investment in the region to more than $1.3 billion since 2001.

Verizon Wireless has the largest and most reliable 3G network coverage area in the United States. It’s 3G data network provides its customers in more locations than any other wireless carrier the ability to browse the Web faster with quicker page loading times, quickly download and play music, watch streaming video, send e-mails with attachments, download and play 3D games, video conference with contacts and rapidly share files. View a map of Verizon Wireless’ 3G coverage, compared with competitors’ 3G coverage at http://vzwmap.verizonwireless.com/dotcom/coveragelocator/images/maps/3Gcomparison.pdf.

“We’ve always believed even the most advanced cell phone is only as good as the network it runs on,” said Mario Turco, president of Verizon Wireless’ Philadelphia Tri-State Region.“Our 3G high-speed Mobile Broadband network is the largest and most reliable in the United States, and field tests are underway that will enable us to become the first wireless company to offer commercial LTE (Long Term Evolution)-based 4G service in the U.S., starting in 2010.”

Demand for Verizon Wireless services continued during the third quarter of 2009 when the company reported a total of 89 million customers. For the sixth consecutive year, the company led the industry in customer satisfaction in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey.

During the third quarter, Verizon Wireless customers sent or received an average of 1.7 billion text messages each day, totaling more than 153 billion text messages, 7.2 billion more than last quarter. Customers also sent 2.8 billion picture/video messages and completed 38 million music and video downloads during the quarter.

Nationally, Verizon Wireless’ real-life test men and test women drive more than 90 specially-equipped vehicles nearly one million miles each year on the country’s most frequently traveled roadways to confirm that voice calls and data connections are successful on the first attempt and stay connected. Vehicles are equipped with computers that automatically make more than three million voice call attempts and more than 16 million data tests annually on Verizon Wireless’ network and the networks of other carriers.