Verizon Wireless' 2012 Network Investment Tops $250 Million In New England

WILMINGTON, MA — Verizon Wireless today announced the completion of $256 million in wireless network enhancements across New England during 2012, increasing the company's regional network investment to more than $3.3 billion since its inception in 2000. Nationally, Verizon Wireless has invested more than $80 billion over the past 12 years to add new services and increase coverage and capacity of its premier nationwide networks.

Since December 2010, when Verizon Wireless launched its 4G LTE network in the Metro Boston area, the company has aggressively expanded its 4G LTE footprint throughout all six states of New England. In 2012, Verizon Wireless added 4G LTE coverage to 1,000 cell sites throughout New England, providing customers with speeds up to ten times faster than 3G networks.

2012 Verizon Wireless Network Investment Highlights

• May 2012
  • Debuted 4G LTE in Vermont, including Burlington and more than 30 additional communities throughout Northern Vermont
  • Brought 4G LTE to communities throughout Upper- and Mid-Cape Cod, Massachusetts
• June 2012
  • Introduced 4G LTE to more than 20 communities in the Greater Portland, Maine area and seacoast
• July 2012
  • Further expanded 4G LTE coverage in Vermont, bringing the power of 4G LTE to Bennington, Rutland and 16 additional communities throughout the Green Mountain State
  • Introduced 4G LTE to 19 additional communities throughout Southeastern Connecticut
• August 2012
  • Continued to spread the 4G LTE network across Western Massachusetts including 11 Berkshire County communities, 10 communities across the North Shore and surrounding area and five communities in Plymouth County
  • Expanded 4G LTE in Vermont including Brattleboro, White River Junction and 14 additional communities, bringing the power of 4G LTE to more than sixty communities throughout the state in a matter of months
  • Activated 4G LTE in 22 communities across Southern New Hampshire and the Seacoast
• October 2012
  • Enhanced 4G LTE service within New Haven and adjacent Connecticut Shoreline communities
  • Introduced blazing fast 4G LTE coverage to Augusta and Waterville, Maine
• December 2012          
  • Activated 4G LTE service within 20 new Western Massachusetts communities and further enhanced an additional 10 communities
  • Deployed 4G LTE to nearly 70 cities and towns in the Bangor, Maine Metropolitan Area
  • Brought 4G LTE coverage to Lewiston and Auburn, Maine and 26 nearby Vacationland communities
  • Launched 4G LTE networks in Keene, New Hampshire and six adjacent Granite State towns
  • Introduced 4G LTE service in Lebanon, New Hampshire and eleven additional central/western communities

In addition to enhancing technologies at already existing cell sites, Verizon Wireless built and activated 75 new cell sites across the following New England communities:

• Connecticut: Branford, Bristol, Danbury, East Hampton, Farmington, Glastonbury, Greenwich, Lebanon, Ledyard, Milford, Newtown, Niantic, Shelton, Stamford, Winchester, Woodbridge
• Maine: Kennebunk, Wells
• Massachusetts: Abington, Andover, Ashland, Boxborough, Brockton, Chester, Concord, Easton, Harwich, Holyoke, Hudson, Huntington, Methuen, Montgomery, Natick, Norfolk, Oxford, Palmer, Pembroke, Reading, Sudbury, Tolland, Upton, Weston, Weston, Wilmington, Winthrop
• New Hampshire: Bedford, Dunbarton, Exeter, Gilmanton, Goffstown, Hampstead, Hampton, Manchester, Marlborough, Nashua, Newmarket, West Lebanon
• Rhode Island: Bristol, Chepachet, Smithfield, Tiverton, West Greenwich
• Vermont: Castleton, Colchester, Hardwick, Hinesburg, North Hero, Northfield, South Hero, Swanton, Westford

Additional Regional Network Milestones in 2012

• Verizon Wireless was ranked highest among all other national wireless providers in New England in the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Wireless Network Quality Performance Study(SM), Volume 1 and J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Wireless Network Quality Performance Study(SM), Volume 2.
• Verizon Wireless continued to test the quality of the company’s and competitors’ networks using a team of real-life test men, test women and special vehicles to comparatively measure the 4G LTE Verizon Wireless network performance to other carriers.

Verizon Wireless' Viewpoints

“In New England, Verizon Wireless customers enjoy an LTE advantage,” commented Christine Berberich, President of Verizon Wireless’ New England Region. “Investing yet another quarter billion dollars into our New England network empowers more of our customers to use their connected devices and accessories in faster, more innovative ways. As New England’s wireless leader, we’ll continue to aggressively invest in network coverage, reliability and technology, including LTE - the gold standard of 4G wireless technology.”

“We’ve invested more than $3.3 billion into our New England wireless network to provide customers the fastest, most advanced and most reliable coverage possible,” commented Dave MacBeth, Executive Director of Network for Verizon Wireless. “4G LTE is changing the way customers interact with the world via next generation apps, devices and solutions. By investing in wireless broadband we’re investing in local communities and economies where our customers live, work and play.”

4G LTE Coverage and Speed

The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network is available to more than 273 million people in 476 markets across the U.S. – close to 89 percent of the U.S. population as of January 2013. The rapid rollout of 4G LTE will continue in 2013 with 4G LTE technology scheduled to cover the company’s entire nationwide footprint by the end of the year.

In real-world, fully loaded network environments, Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE customers should experience average data rates of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink.

Visit www.verizonwireless.com/lte for more information about the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network and a list of current markets.

4G LTE Devices

Verizon Wireless customers can choose from the largest selection of 4G LTE-enabled devices, such as the DROID RAZR HD by Motorola and Windows Phone 8X, as well as Home Fusion Broadband, an in-home broadband service available within the New England region that harnesses the power of the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network.

Smart Accessories

Verizon Wireless also offers a variety of smart accessories, including the FitBit Ultra Wireless Activity Tracker and the Tagg Pet Tracker. A full list of smart accessories can be found at www.verizonwireless.com/smartaccessories.     

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 98.2 million retail customers, including 92.5 million retail postpaid customers.  Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 73,000 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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