Verizon Wireless Expands Wireless Broadband Network to Harrisonburg, Virginia and Surrounding Areas

Verizon Wireless Expands Wireless Broadband Network to Harrisonburg, Virginia and Surrounding Areas

High-Speed Network Gives Customers Fast Wireless Access To Internet, E-mail, Mobile Music, Video, and More

LAUREL, Md., April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless customers in Harrisonburg and most of Rockingham and Augusta Counties can now access e-mail, everyday corporate data, the Internet, and more at faster speeds, check out video on their phones, download music over-the-air and play 3D games as Verizon Wireless rolls out its wireless high-speed broadband network. The rollout, which also includes portions of Waynesboro, Staunton and surrounding communities in the I-81 and I-64 corridors, allows customers to access BroadbandAccess on their laptops, e-mail on their PDAs, and V CAST Video and Music on their wireless phones.

"This is a vital area with dynamic, tech-savvy business people, students, visitors, and residents who want to stay connected," said Tami Erwin, Verizon Wireless regional president for Virginia, Washington and Maryland. "The launch of our broadband network here provides our customers with access to the very latest wireless technology."

BroadbandAccess

Based on Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) network technology, BroadbandAccess provides mobile workers with the ability to access their corporate information as if they were attached to the data via a high-speed wired connection but with the freedom of true mobility. Developed with a range of users in mind, the service enables large enterprises, small- to medium-sized businesses and mobile professionals to conduct business anytime, anywhere in the BroadbandAccess coverage area via a secure, true high-speed data connection.

With BroadbandAccess, business customers, residents and visitors to the area can expect average download speeds of 600 kilobits per second (kbps) to 1.4 megabits per second and average upload speeds of 500-800 kbps. That means they can download a 1 Megabyte e-mail attachment -- the equivalent of a small PowerPoint(R) presentation or a large PDF file -- in about eight seconds and upload the same-sized file in less than 13 seconds.

BroadbandAccess also enables Verizon Wireless customers to download files significantly faster than customers of wireless service providers that use different broadly deployed network technologies. Furthermore, customers who travel outside the enhanced BroadbandAccess coverage area with an EV-DO device will switch seamlessly to the company's NationalAccess service.

V CAST: Video and Music

The company's wireless broadband network also enables its V CAST multimedia services, which offer customers the ability to download full-song tracks, play cutting-edge 3D games and stream video clips straight to their handsets with top transmission speeds. With content updated daily, customers can watch dozens of on demand videos, including breaking news, weather updates, sports highlights, and the hottest entertainment clips. With V CAST Music, Verizon Wireless has built a massive full-song mobile music store that contains more than 2.8 million songs -- from well-known as well as independent artists -- that customers can download over-the-air, directly onto their V CAST Music-enabled wireless phones.

Investment

The multi-million dollar expansion includes the installation of high-tech wireless hardware and software in wireless transmission sites throughout the region. Verizon Wireless has invested more than $44 billion since it was formed -- nearly $5.5 billion on average every year -- to increase the coverage and capacity of its national network and to add new services. In the Washington/Baltimore/Virginia region, the company invested $300 million just last year, bringing the company's regional network investment to more than $1.8 billion since 2000.

Verizon Wireless was the first national wireless provider to commercially launch a high-speed wireless broadband network in the United States. These communities in Virginia are the latest to be added to the coverage. For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 65.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 69,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, go to: 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.

Source: Verizon Wireless

CONTACT: Sherri Cunningham, +1-202-364-5856, or John Johnson,
+1-240-568-1429, John.H.Johnson@verizonwireless.com, both of Verizon Wireless

Web site:

http://www.verizonwireless.com/
http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia

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