Maine Residents And Visitors To Benefit From Major Verizon Wireless Network Expansion

BANGOR, ME — Verizon Wireless, the nation's leading wireless service provider, has announced continued network expansion in Maine with 16 new cell sites across Hancock, Kennebec, Oxford, and Penobscot counties bringing the total of new cell sites in Maine to 75 additions in 2006 alone.

Details of the coverage these new cell sites provide are as follows:

Hancock County:

• Dedham: Provides new coverage along US-1a, providing connectivity with the new Holden East site to the northwest and an existing site in Ellsworth
• Ellsworth (3 sites): Provides new coverage along US-1a, and US-1. The sites connect coverage with each other as well as the new Dedham site to the south

Kennebec:

• Monmouth: Provides coverage and capacity along US-202, ME-106 and ME-132, joining with an existing site in Greene to the south and the new Winthrop site to the north
• Waterville: Provides coverage and capacity into downtown Waterville and on major Routes US-201, ME-137, ME-104, ME-11, and ME-100, linking coverage with existing sites in Oakland to the west and Vassalboro to the south
• Winthrop: Provides new coverage along US-202, connecting coverage with an existing site in Manchester to the north and with the new Winthrop site to the south

Oxford County:

• Norway: Provides coverage and capacity along ME-26 as well as downtown Norway, providing connectivity with the new Oxford site to the south and the new Paris site to the north
• Oxford (2 sites): Provides new coverage along ME-26. The sites tie-in coverage with each other as well as the new Norway site to the north and an existing Poland site to the south
• Paris (2 sites): Provides new coverage along ME-26, and ME-117, and into downtown West Paris. The sites connect coverage with each other as well as the new Norway site to the west and the new Woodstock site to the north
• Woodstock (2 sites): Provides new coverage along ME-26. The sites interconnect with each other as well as the new Paris site to the south

Penobscot County:

• Holden: Provides coverage along US-1a and to the west half of the town of Holden and the eastern portions of the towns of Brewer and Orrington, providing connectivity to an existing site in Brewer to the west and the new site in Dedham to the east
• Old Town: Provides coverage and capacity along US-2, US-2alt, ME-43, and ME-16, linking coverage with existing sites in Old Town to the south and Orono to the west

This network expansion is part of Verizon Wireless' aggressive multi-billion dollar network investment each year (more than $1 billion every 90 days), including well over $300 million in New England in 2005 alone, to stay ahead of the growing demand for Verizon Wireless voice and data services. Verizon Wireless has invested $35 billion-on average $5 billion a year-into its national wireless network over the past seven years as part of its commitment to offer customers the most reliable wireless service available, and wireless data services such as Picture Messaging and TXT Messaging.

Strong demand for Verizon Wireless services continued during the third quarter of 2006 as the company added 1.9 million net new customers and continues to post the lowest customer turnover rate in the wireless industry, well below the rate reported by the other major wireless carriers.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 57 million customers. The largest US wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 60,000 employees nationwide. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at 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.

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