Let It Snow! Verizon Wireless Network Geared Up For Winter Sports Season

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — As the snow begins to fly, it’s time to bundle up and get outside for the upcoming winter sports season! While snow buffs are gearing up with skis, snowboards and snow shoes to hit the slopes and back country trails, Verizon Wireless is gearing up its network and is ready to handle increased call volume this winter.

The company regularly invests in its nationwide network to provide the nation’s most reliable wireless service. For this season, Verizon Wireless added new cell sites and enhanced its network to increase coverage and capacity at some of the hottest cold weather destinations across the country, including:

* June Mountain Ski Resort in Mono County, Calif.
* Bear Mountain Ski Resort and Snow Summit Ski in Big Bear, Calif.
* Highway 50 between the towns of Kyburz and Strawberry in California on the way to Lake Tahoe
* Mohawk Mountain in Cornwall, Conn.
* Jiminy Peak in Hancock, Mass.
* Hidden Valley Ski Resort in Hidden Valley, Pa.
* Bromley Mountain in Peru, Vt.
* Hunter Mountain Ski Resort in Hunter, N.Y.
* Magic Mountain Ski Area in Londonderry, Vt.
* Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, Vt.
* Alpental Ski Area in King County, Wash.

Other cell site additions in Vermont this year also brought new coverage to portions of Burke Mountain, Jay Peak, Pico Peak and Mount Snow ski resorts. Verizon Wireless also completed Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) capacity additions at Copper Mountain, Aspen, Vail, Keystone and Breckenridge in the Colorado ski areas.

With the improved network coverage, powder hounds from coast to coast can use their wireless phones and devices to make more calls; send and receive e-mail, text and multimedia messages; download music, games and ringtones; and view high-quality videos all while on-the-go.

Verizon Wireless’ team of Test Men and Women, who inspired the company’s national advertising campaign, ensure that the Verizon Wireless network is in peak shape for the season. These Test Men and Women conduct more than 3 million voice call attempts and more than 16 million data tests annually on Verizon Wireless’ and other national wireless carriers’ networks while traveling almost 1 million miles of the most frequently traveled roadways nationwide in specially equipped, company-owned quality test vehicles. The collected data helps Verizon Wireless plan the company’s network improvement program, including placement of new cellular sites and expansion of existing call capabilities in growing communities.

Verizon Wireless has invested more than $48 billion since it was formed – $5.5 billion on average every year – to increase the coverage and capacity of its national network and to add new services. In 2007, the company invested $6.5 billion.