Verizon Wireless to Broaden Coverage Area in Georgia
Carrier to Purchase Haralson, Georgia Cellular Service License
June 8, 2000
| Media contact: | Andrea Linskey, |
BEDMINSTER, NJ - Verizon Wireless today announced plans to acquire the cellular service market designated Georgia-RSA 5 from Blackwater Cellular Corporation.
The acquisition will add 25,000 customers to Verizon Wireless' more than 18 million subscriber-base and represents the addition of 269,000 POPs (potential customers). The 1,900 square-mile cellular service market is contiguous to Verizon Wireless' Atlanta market and encompasses suburbs southwest of the city.
"This acquisition will give Verizon Wireless the ability to better serve its customers throughout Georgia as well as its many customers across the county who visit one of the fastest-growing cities in America -- Atlanta," said Tim Driscoll, regional president - Georgia. "The Haralson area in particular represents a tremendous growth opportunity for Verizon Wireless as more and more people migrate from Atlanta to the surrounding suburbs."
The acquisition is targeted for completion this year.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless is the largest wireless communications provider in the U.S. with more than 18 million wireless voice and data customers and nearly 4 million paging customers. The new coast-to-coast wireless company was formed by the combination of the U.S. wireless businesses of Bell Atlantic Corp. (NYSE:BEL) and Vodafone AirTouch Plc (LSE:VOD; NYSE:VOD). The new company includes the assets of Bell Atlantic Mobile, AirTouch Cellular, PrimeCo Personal Communications and AirTouch Paging. Verizon Wireless will be further strengthened by the addition of the wireless assets of GTE Corp. (NYSE:GTE) when it completes its merger with Bell Atlantic. The new company will have 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. Headquartered in New York City and Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is 30,000 employees strong. Reporters and editors can find more Verizon Wireless information at
www.verizonwireless.com/mediacenter.