Verizon Wireless Network in Peak Summer Shape

Water. Check. Air-conditioning. Check. Sunscreen. Check. The nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network. Check!

Today marks the first official day of summer and the Verizon Wireless network in the Southwest is primed and ready for all that the season brings.

"Verizon Wireless is committed to providing reliable wireless communication for our customers throughout the hot summer months and during seasonal emergencies," said Greg Carek, Southwest Region executive director-Network, Verizon Wireless.

"Our year-round focus on improving and maintaining our network ensures that we are prepared to operate when our customers need it most."

The Verizon Wireless network is built for reliability in emergencies -- such as power blackouts, monsoon storms and extreme weather conditions -- with redundancy capabilities in place to maintain services for customers.

All facilities have battery back-up power and for additional reliability, generators installed at all switching facilities, and many cell site locations. The company also owns a fleet of portable generators that can be deployed to provide emergency power during extended power outages to those cell sites without permanent generators.

Verizon Wireless is positioned for rapid response in the event of a natural disaster or other unplanned event that calls for additional wireless network coverage and capacity.

The company operates a fleet of locally based "Cell on Light Trucks" (COLTs) and "Cell on Wheels" (COWs). These COLTs and COWs are fully functional, generator-powered mobile cell sites that enhance wireless coverage so that emergency response teams and other Verizon Wireless customers can make more calls.

In the past year, Verizon Wireless has deployed mobile cell sites and other equipment to more than a dozen wildfire incidents around the country. Already this year in the Southwest, the Verizon Wireless Network team has responded to the Pepper and Trigo wildfires in New Mexico.

Last year, Verizon Wireless invested a combined $225 million in its Southwest Region network that serves customers in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and El Paso, Texas. Verizon Wireless outspent all major carriers in network investment in 2007 -- by $1 billion or more. Nationwide, the company has invested nearly $45 billion since it was formed -- $5.5 billion on average every year -- to increase the coverage and capacity of its national wireless network.

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).

Source: Verizon Wireless