Verizon Wireless Customers In Twin Ports Area Of Duluth, Minnesota, And Superior, Wisconsin, Get Faster New Wireless Broadband Network

DULUTH, MN — Verizon Wireless customers in the Twin Ports area of Duluth and Superior, Wis., can now have access to the Internet and to their e-mail and corporate data at faster speeds, uploading files eight to nine times faster than before as Verizon Wireless rolls out its next-generation high-speed broadband network. Based on CDMA 1x Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) technology, the enhanced wireless broadband network provides Verizon Wireless customers in these Minnesota communities with data uplink speeds significantly faster than the company’s award-winning national EV-DO network, which the company rolled out in the Twin Ports area in December 2006.

The EV-DO Rev. A network coverage area, which provides Verizon Wireless customers with faster access for sending and uploading data, extends from the city of Duluth north on U.S. Highway 53 to the Cloquet River; west on U.S. Highway 2 to State Route 33; and east to the Saint Louis/Lake County border. Coverage also extends from Superior, Wis., south along U.S. Highway 53 to Solon Springs.

The company’s existing EV-DO network enables customers to access BroadbandAccess on their laptops, e-mail on their PDAs, and V CAST Video and Music on their wireless phones. The company’s national wireless broadband network, the first in the nation, is already available to more than 200 million Americans in 242 major metropolitan areas and 180 major airports from coast to coast.

“Our existing wireless broadband network has enabled customers to work remotely and stay entertained in unprecedented ways; now we’re taking wireless to the next level by introducing technology that helps them work faster,” said Nancy Clark, president–Great Plains region, Verizon Wireless. “Our customers who enjoy the latest technology will applaud Rev. A’s faster data uplink speeds for their cutting-edge devices.”

The company’s flagship business data service, BroadbandAccess, will run faster and more efficiently with the new network enhancements. Customers in enhanced coverage areas can take advantage of upload speeds that are eight to nine times faster than that of the company’s existing wireless broadband network, while interacting with Web-based applications with improved latency for a better customer experience. For example, BroadbandAccess customers in enhanced broadband wireless coverage areas can expect average download speeds of 600 kilobits per second (kbps) to 1.4 megabits and average upload speeds of 500-800 kbps, which means customers can download a 1 Megabyte e-mail attachment – the equivalent of a small PowerPoint® presentation or a large PDF file – in about eight seconds and upload the same-sized file in less than 13 seconds.

In addition, customers who travel outside the BroadbandAccess coverage area will switch seamlessly to the fastest Verizon Wireless network available, whether it is the wireless broadband network or the network that operates the company’s NationalAccess service.

Devices that take advantage of Verizon Wireless’ wireless broadband network include the new V740 ExpressCard, the compact USB720 wireless modem, the AirCard 595 and the PC5750 PC Card from Verizon Wireless, all of which are fully compatible with both the company’s wireless broadband network and its NationalAccess network (based on CDMA 1xRTT technology). BroadbandAccess also is available as an integrated option on select notebook and laptop computers.

Duluth and Superior customers purchasing either device can get significantly faster upload speeds and improved download speeds when in an enhanced network coverage area. Customers interested in purchasing either device can visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store or authorized agent in the Twin Ports area, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.