[December 31, 2008]

Summers County, WV Residents to Benefit from Verizon Wireless Network Expansion

LAUREL, Md., Dec. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- In a continuing effort to provide the best wireless service for residents and visitors in Summers County, WV, Verizon Wireless has expanded its network with two new cell sites. The first improves coverage along Interstate I-64 between exits 143 and 139, while the second provides improved coverage near Pipestem State Park along Route 20.

These network enhancements are part of Verizon Wireless' aggressive multi-billion dollar network investment each year to stay ahead of the growing demand for the company's voice and data services. In 2008, Verizon Wireless invested approximately $9 million to expand its nationwide voice and data network beyond Mercer and Bland Counties, where it has been providing service since October 2006, to include Summers, Greenbrier and Raleigh Counties in West Virginia. Since 2000 when the company was formed, Verizon Wireless has invested more than $1.8 billion on enhancing services and network coverage in Southeastern West Virginia, Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland. Nationally, the company has invested more than $48 billion since 2000 to offer customers the most reliable service available, including wireless data services such as picture messaging, text messaging, and the company's exclusive V CAST service. V CAST brings video clips of TV shows, music on demand and other multimedia services to wireless phones over Verizon Wireless' high-speed BroadBandAccess network.

With BroadBandAccess, users can connect to the Internet, download music over-the-air, and access e-mail or corporate data at average download speeds of 600 kilobits per second (kbps) to 1.4 megabits per second and average upload speeds of 500-800 kbps. For example, customers 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.

Strong demand for Verizon Wireless services continued during the third quarter of 2008 as the company added 1.5 million net new customers. For the 16th consecutive quarter, Verizon Wireless also led the wireless industry in customer loyalty. The company posted a churn (customer turnover) rate of just 1.33%, below the rate reported by the other major wireless carriers.

Verizon Wireless tests its network and those of its competitors to ensure the Verizon Wireless network remains the nation's most reliable. Nationally, Verizon Wireless' real-life test men and women drive 91 specially equipped vehicles almost 1,000,000 miles annually on Interstate, U.S. and state highways, as well as major roads and surface streets in high-population areas, based upon U.S. Census counts, to determine if voice calls and data connections are successful on the first attempt and stay connected. Vehicles are equipped with computers that automatically make more than three million voice call attempts and more than 16 million data tests annually on Verizon Wireless' network and the networks of other carriers.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 70.8 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 71,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications 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.

Verizon Wireless

CONTACT: Sherri Cunningham for Verizon Wireless, +1-202-364-5856; orJohn Johnson of Verizon Wireless, +1-240-568-1429,john.h.johnson@verizonwireless.com

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

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