'Hello, Mom. It's Me on the Phone!'

NEW YORK - If you can't give your mom a hug in person this Mother's Day, she most certainly would welcome hearing your voice on the phone.

And if circumstances limit your greeting to a call, the Verizon wireline network stands ready and prepared to handle an expected surge of calls from well-wishers on Sunday.

"A phone call on a landline phone not only assures a clear signal but allows a mom to hear the voices of her children, which is the next best thing to seeing them in person," said Eddie Googe, director of consumer voice product management.

Verizon anticipates processing more than 715 million local and long-distance phone calls on its wireline network alone this Mother's Day, an 18 percent increase compared with a typical Sunday.  Verizon's landline network processes more than 1 billion calls on its wireline network on a typical work day, with 99.9 percent reliability.

A visit to mom, or even a gift in the mail, may not fit everyone's budget this year, but sons and daughters can call to express their love and warm wishes.  

The dependability of Verizon's landline voice network delivers unmatched voice quality - clarity and tone - that enables people to hear subtle voice inflections that express emotion and that are not attainable in a text message or e-mail.

Verizon Calling Plans Suit Various Lifestyles and Budgets

Verizon offers a number of calling plans that include unlimited local and long-distance service.  Verizon also offers several international calling plans, the most popular of which is the Verizon International Single Rate.

Customers with a Verizon Freedom voice plan can add the Verizon International Single Rate plan for $10 per month for 300 minutes (five hours) or $15 per month for 500 minutes (more than eight hours).*  Verizon Freedom Essentials is a common component of Verizon's bundled offerings of voice, high-speed Internet and television services.

Customers who do not have a Verizon Freedom voice plan can enroll in the Verizon International Single Rate plan for $14.99 per month for 300 minutes or $19.99 per month for 500 minutes.

The Verizon International Single Rate plan allows customers in the U.S. to make calls to 118 countries, including those that are called most frequently: Mexico, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Italy, Germany and Israel. (Unlimited calls to Canada are included in Freedom calling plans.)

New customers seeking the most reliable phone, high-speed Internet and television service can enjoy the greatest value by ordering the services within a bundle.  The current Verizon spring promotion offers up to $150 back in the form of a prepaid card and other value-added incentives.  For more information, visit http://www.verizon.com/ultimateupgrade or www.verizon.com or call 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966).

Existing Verizon customers interested in the Verizon International Single Rate plan can call their Verizon business office at the number listed on their monthly bill statements.  New customers can call 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966).  More information and a list of qualifying countries also are available at www.verizon.com/internationalrates.

* NOTE: Prices are valid with any Verizon Freedom calling plan.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 86 million customers nationwide.  Verizon's Wireline operations provide converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network.  Wireline also includes Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 237,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $97 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

####