Verizon Launches 4G LTE In 38 Major Metropolitan Areas by the End of the Year

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon underscored its rapid deployment of the world's first large-scale 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network today from the CTIA Enterprise & Applications™ 2010 conference.  Lowell McAdam, president and chief operating officer of Verizon, detailed the company's major network launch in 38 major metropolitan areas, covering more than 110 million Americans, by the end of the year.  In addition, the company is launching 4G LTE in more than 60 commercial airports coast to coast – both the airports within the launch areas plus airports in other key cities.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20101006/NY77263 )

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101006/NY77263 )

McAdam said, "We are driven by the vision to provide ubiquitous wireless broadband connectivity and mobility to rural and urban Americans alike.  With our initial 4G LTE launch, we will immediately reach more than one-third of all Americans where they live, right from the start.  And, we will quickly introduce 4G LTE throughout the Verizon coverage area."

McAdam highlighted the metropolitan areas for the initial launch, which include:

• Large sections of the Northeast Corridor, including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. as well as Rochester, New York
• Throughout Miami and south Florida, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and New Orleans as well as Charlotte, North Carolina and Nashville, Tennessee
• Chicagoland, St. Louis, the Twin Cities, Pittsburgh and major cities in Ohio
• Major population centers in California as well as Seattle, Phoenix, Denver and Las Vegas

(A list of all metropolitan areas and airports is located at the end of the news release.)

Verizon Wireless is building its 4G LTE network with the same commitment to performance and reliability for which it has long been recognized.  Verizon Wireless' laser focus on reliability is based on rigid engineering standards and a disciplined deployment approach year after year.

Enterprise users, businesses and individuals can immediately benefit from Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network this year.  While Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network promises much more than speed, the first application gives employees the ability to work at significantly faster speeds and improved latency, increasing productivity and the opportunity to get work done where their business takes them.  

McAdam continued, "Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network will also be available in the commercial airports in the 38 metropolitan areas, plus we're launching airports in other key cities coast to coast, giving road warriors added coverage when they travel.  Every time we've built a next generation network, our customers have seen real benefits to their bottom lines.  Taking advantage of the first large-scale LTE network on the globe gives our customers a competitive advantage."

Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE rollout positions the company to be the global leader in 4G LTE deployment.  Verizon Wireless expects 4G LTE average data rates to be 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink in real-world, loaded network environments.  These speeds are significantly faster than Verizon Wireless and other wireless providers' current or promised 3G network speeds.  

By leveraging its 700 MHz spectrum for LTE deployment in the United States, Verizon Wireless is capable of quickly deploying a high-quality wireless broadband network with excellent coverage.  The company is currently installing LTE equipment at existing cell sites and switching centers around the United States as part of its extensive, ongoing investment in its voice and data network infrastructure.  

In addition to the 38 major metropolitan areas, Verizon Wireless is launching its 4G LTE network in West Lafayette, Ind., home of Purdue University.  The public university is using several innovative software applications on Verizon Wireless' 3G network that improve student engagement and success, and Verizon Wireless is working with Purdue to explore the next phase of how 4G LTE technology can improve e-learning across the nation.

Visit www.verizonwireless.com/lte for more information about Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network.  

Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Initial Major Metropolitan Area Deployment

Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Initial Commercial Airport Deployment (Airport Name, City, State)

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 92 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 79,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD).  For more information, visit 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.

NOTE: This press release contains statements about expected future events and financial results that are forward-looking and subject to risks and uncertainties.  For those statements, which may include or be preceded by such words as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates" and similar expressions, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this presentation and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise them for any reason.

The following important factors, in addition to those discussed under "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K (No. 333-160446), could affect future results and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements:  changes in economic conditions; our ability to complete transactions relating to acquisitions and dispositions, including the integration of the Alltel business;  changes in the ratings of our debt securities or those of Verizon Communications; adverse conditions in the credit markets impacting cost or availability of financing sufficient to meet our capital requirements; our ability to acquire and retain customers; our continued provision of satisfactory service to our customers at an acceptable price; the effects of competition; our ability to adapt to changing conditions in the wireless industry; the ability of our key suppliers to meet their obligations to us; the effects of material changes in available technology, including technology substitution and the cost of deployment; the impact of continued unionization efforts with respect to our employees; adverse regulatory and taxation developments; the effects of litigation; the impact of equipment failures, natural disasters, terrorist acts or other breaches of network or information technology security; and the effects of any required future changes in accounting assumptions.