Verizon Wireless Expands High-Speed Wireless Broadband Network in Ohio to Portions of Licking County

High-Speed Network Gives Verizon Wireless Customers Access to Fast Wireless

            Internet, E-mail, Full-track Songs, Videos and More



    HANOVER, Ohio, July 17 /EMWNews/ -- Verizon Wireless announced today

that it has expanded the national rollout of its high-speed wireless

network to portions of Licking County, including the town of Hanover along

portions of SR-16 on the eastern edge of the county.



    "Our high-speed wireless network gives our customers three key

advantages in wireless communication -- speed, mobility and security," said

Roger Tang, president -- Ohio/Pennsylvania/West Virginia region, Verizon

Wireless. "With these advantages, business customers and mobile

professionals can increase productivity and see bottom-line business

benefits. In addition, our V CAST services, such as V CAST Music with

Rhapsody, help keep customers entertained while on-the-go -- on the same

devices they carry with them every day."



    BroadbandAccess



    The network expansion in Licking County offers Verizon Wireless'

business customers a truly mobile office experience with BroadbandAccess,

giving them access to their calendars, the Internet, e-mail and critical

business information residing behind their companies' firewalls.

BroadbandAccess was developed with a range of users in mind, and it 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.



    Customers in wireless broadband coverage areas 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. To help customers

stay connected, BroadbandAccess seamlessly switches to the company's

NationalAccess service if they travel outside the BroadbandAccess coverage

area.



    V CAST Music with Rhapsody



    The company's wireless broadband network powers its V CAST Music with

Rhapsody service, which combines Verizon Wireless' world-class,

over-the-air mobile music service with Rhapsody's leading desktop solution.

V CAST with Rhapsody delivers unlimited monthly access to music on up to

three V CAST Music with Rhapsody-compatible mobile phones and players, and

online on multiple PCs and Web browsers. With V CAST Music with Rhapsody,

customers who purchase music over-the-air can download the master copy of

the songs or albums to their PCs free of digital rights management (DRM)

software that restricts how and where music can be played.



    V CAST



    The company's V CAST service gives customers the ability to play

cutting-edge 3D games and stream video clips straight to their handsets. V

CAST offers content updated daily so customers can watch dozens of

on-demand videos, including breaking news, weather updates, sports

highlights and the hottest entertainment clips.



    Network Technology and Investment



    Verizon Wireless' broadband network is based on CDMA 1x Evolution-Data

Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) technology and provides customers in

the area with speeds significantly faster than the company's NationalAccess

service.



    The multi-million dollar expansion includes the installation of

high-tech wireless hardware and software in wireless transmission sites

throughout the region. It is part of an ongoing network investment by

Verizon Wireless, which has invested more than $45 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. Last year,

the company invested more than $190 million in its Ohio network

improvements.



    For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, call

1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to http://www.verizonwireless.com.

    About Verizon Wireless



    Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and

data network, serving 67.2 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: http://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 http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.