Verizon Wireless Cuts Long Distance Rates To Mexico By 70 Percent

IRVINE, Calif. — Verizon Wireless today announced that it is making it more affordable to place calls from Southern California to Mexico, with an across the board regular rate reduction available with any digital plan. The previous rate of 50 cents per minute for long distance calls to Mexico has been reduced to 15 cents. In addition, the company has introduced a special frequent caller reduced rate program available with any digital plan, which for a $3 monthly fee, drops the long distance charge to 10 cents a minute.

"Our Mexico Long Distance Promotion is another way we are making quality wireless communications a simple, affordable and international tool for everyday life," says Nick Montes, manager of Hispanic marketing for Verizon Wireless. "This service is a considerable value, and a competitive alternative to landline long distance for people who frequently call Mexico, whether it's for business or personal reasons."

Verizon Wireless' Mexico Long Distance Promotion is available to customers in the five-county, Greater Los Angeles area (i.e., Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura counties), and San Diego County. To set up their phone to place calls to Mexico, and, or sign up for the promotion, existing and new customers only need to contact Verizon Wireless customers care at 1-888-466-4646. The new long distance service rates are in addition to monthly access charges.

Verizon Wireless has a strong, ongoing Latino marketing program that includes Spanish-language customer service assistance and brochures, as well as Latino-themed retail stores in Fontana, Fullerton, Huntington Park, Santa Ana and San Bernardino. Additional Latino-themed stores are planned for Norwalk, Panorama City, Pico Rivera, Rosemead and Whittier. The first of these special stores opened in May 1999, with a Latino-themed concept and design, and bilingual staffing, all underscoring the company's commitment to Latinos.

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About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless is the largest wireless communications provider in the U.S. with more than 25 million wireless voice and data customers and nearly 4 million paging customers. The new coast-to-coast wireless provider was formed by the combination of the U.S. wireless businesses of Bell Atlantic Corp. and GTE Corp --now Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) -- and Vodafone AirTouch Plc (LSE:VOD; NYSE:VOD). The new company includes the assets of Bell Atlantic Mobile, AirTouch Cellular, GTE Wireless, PrimeCo Personal Communications and AirTouch Paging. The new company has a footprint covering nearly 90 percent of the U.S. population, 49 of the top 50 and 96 of the top 100 U.S. markets. Verizon Wireless, headquartered in New York City and Bedminster, NJ, is 30,000 employees strong. Reporters and editors can find more information about the company in its Media Center on the Web at: http://www.verizonwireless.com/mediacenter .

Editor's Note
Verizon Wireless, formed by the combination of the U.S. wireless businesses of Bell Atlantic Corp., Vodafone AirTouch Plc, and GTE Corp., incorporates the former AirTouch Cellular properties in Southern California.

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