Verizon Wireless Supports Emergency Workers In Montcoal, West Virginia

WHAT/WHERE:
Verizon Wireless has established a Cell on Wheels (COW) temporary cell site near the Massey coal mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, the location of the tragic explosion that occurred on April 5. The COW will provide wireless voice and data service to the emergency command center, the mine portal and portions of Route 3.

The company has also set up a 24-hour communications center where emergency personnel will have access to wireless Internet and more than 50 wireless phones. Additional phones also were deployed to enable coordinators and other emergency personnel to communicate and coordinate rescue and recovery efforts.

MOBILE CELL SITE FLEET:
Verizon Wireless owns, maintains and deploys a fleet of Cells on Light Trucks (COLTs) and Cells on Wheels (COWs) that can mobilize quickly to provide temporary network coverage and capacity in the event of emergencies or unplanned interruptions of voice and data service.

NETWORK INVESTMENT:
Since 2008, Verizon Wireless has invested more than $64 million on improvements to its network in West Virginia, including building 34 new cell sites in 2009.

B-ROLL AVAILABLE:
B-Roll and high-quality still photographs of Verizon Wireless’ mobile cell sites used for disaster response can be found at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 91 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit 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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