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Holidays Bring Verizon Wireless Broadband Service & New Roanoke Switch to S.W. Virginia

Posted on: Wednesday, 26 December 2007, 15:00 CST

LAUREL, Md., Dec. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Bringing season's greetings to your mobile phone at high speed, Verizon Wireless has turned up its broadband wireless network in Southwestern Virginia and opened a new multi-million dollar switching center in Roanoke. The new technology is now directing traffic for the region's growing number of wireless voice and data calls as part of a multi-billion dollar nationwide investment to continue to improve call quality and offer advanced data services.

The high-speed wireless data network in the Roanoke Valley now extends southwest along I-81 from Fairfield through Lexington, Roanoke, Salem, Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Radford and Pulaski. Coverage also extends along Interstate-64 to Covington and includes portions of the counties of Alleghany, Bath, Bedford, Botetourt, Carroll, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Roanoke and Rockbridge.

The network uses Ev-DO (Evolution - data optimized) technology to connect Verizon Wireless customers to the company's high-speed wireless network using two services:

-- BroadbandAccess high-speed wireless service connects computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to the Internet at average speeds of 600 kilobits per second to 1.4 megabits per second for mobile access to e-mail, corporate networks and the worldwide web.

-- V CAST consumer-oriented multimedia service delivers content on demand including crystal clear music, video, news, weather, sports, entertainment and cutting-edge 3-D games from leading sources and innovative content providers.

The computerized switching center serves all Verizon Wireless customers who live in and travel throughout Southwestern Virginia. Like all Verizon Wireless switching offices, it contains a dedicated back-up power system including an emergency generator that keeps the call-routing hub operating whenever commercial power is interrupted.

"BroadbandAccess service gives our customers fast, secure and truly mobile communications -- three important competitive advantages in any business," said Tami Erwin, regional president of Verizon Wireless. "And our new Roanoke switch will help us make wireless service in Southwestern Virginia even more reliable."

Verizon Wireless has invested more than $6 billion in its national network in 2007 and more than $165 million in its Virginia / Maryland region in the first half of the year alone. Network investment in the region tops $1.5 billion since the company began in 2000.

For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, 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 63.7 million customers. The largest U.S. wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 68,000 employees nationwide. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at 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.

Verizon Wireless

CONTACT: Sherri Cunningham, +1-202-364-5856, or John Johnson,+1-410-382-5032, john.h.johnson@verizonwireless.com, both of Verizon Wireless

Web Site: http://www.verizonwireless.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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