A slow news day? Far from it.
With new 5G Home and mobility cities and the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard, our news rundown has never been faster.
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On today’s Friday the 13th edition of Up To Speed, Andy shared the following updates starting with the highlights of the week.
Up To Speed news rundown
- Monday: We were back in the office with Hans who talked about the state of the business, some big company wins, and the great momentum we’ve got as we continue the second half of the year.
- Tuesday: We showcased three of our retail all-stars who continue to go above and beyond to serve our customers in game-changing ways.
- Thursday: George shared some of the many exciting new products coming out of Samsung Unpacked, which begged the question: are you a Flip or are you a Fold?
Special Up To Speed Live next Monday
Looking ahead, please make sure to join us next Monday at 12 PM ET for Up To Speed Live. Joining us will be Craig Silliman, our Chief Administrative, Legal and Public Policy Officer and our interim head of HR. He’ll be sharing important updates regarding our COVID-19 and Work Forward plans, so tune in on Monday.
Dixie Fire response
Our Verizon Response team means it when they say they run to a crisis. In the case of northern California’s Dixie Fire, our team continues to step up in big ways. Verizon consumer and small business customers, who have been most impacted by the Dixie Fire, will continue to receive unlimited calling, texting and data. Our Verizon Response Team is available 24/7 to deliver Verizon Frontline technologies to support first responders.
Please note that some Verizon retail store hours are subject to change due to mandatory wildfire evacuation orders.
VtoV Employee Relief Fund
When our teams are dealing with a natural disaster like wildfires, it’s a good time to remind all V Teamers about the V to V Employee Relief Fund. Please donate today. All funds will go to help your fellow V Teamers in their time of need.
AMC+ on us
If you’re staying inside to beat the heat, remember Verizon is the place to go for the best in entertainment. The best just got better with AMC+. This week we began offering up to 12 months of AMC+ to customers who sign up for select Unlimited or Fios plans.
And yes, that's the same AMC+ that's home to cable's biggest show, The Walking Dead, which begins its final season. In fact, as a special perk, if you get AMC+ through this deal, you can stream the premiere of The Walking Dead’s final season on AMC+ one week before it appears on television.
Verizon already offers a number of streaming perks to our customers, and now with AMC+ you’re getting a premium library of originals, some of your favorite series from AMC, and exclusive dramas and films from Shudder, Sundance Now, IFC and BBC America.
More 5G Home and mobility cities
Speaking of game-changing networks, let’s talk about this week’s news surrounding 5G Home and 5G Ultra Wideband. Customers in Austin, TX, and Gresham, OR, now have access to Verizon’s 5G Home broadband and 5G Ultra Wideband mobility services. Additionally, customers in Albuquerque, NM; Little Rock, AR; and Nashville, TN; now have access to Verizon’s 5G Home service and customers in Birmingham, AL, now have access to 5G Ultra Wideband mobility service.
“This is the first time that people can go to one place for both good phone coverage and good at-home coverage,” said Sid Braddy, a retail specialist in Nashville, TN. “Verizon has always been the most reliable network, and it’s really cool to have that fluidity with home and not have to worry about different bills.”
Thank you, Sid and the following retail reps for sharing your thoughts and enthusiasm (and in the case of Billy, his dance moves!): Brooke Wallace, Austin, TX; Dalton Bell, Albuquerque, NM; Jasmine Dockery, Nashville, TN; Michelle Weber, Gresham, OR; Erick Williams, Birmingham, AL; Chiara Randall and Billy Ellis of Little Rock, AR.
BlueJeans and Apple Health
Here’s a health-related question for you: Where do you go when you’re feeling sick? More and more people are first going to their digital devices to see their doctors virtually.
Good news: Virtual visits just got easier and more secure as the BlueJeans Telehealth app is now integrated with Apple Health. That means patients will be able to securely share health information — including heart rate and sleep patterns collected by their iPhones or Apple Watch devices — with healthcare providers.
This is all part of the BlueJeans efforts to replicate in-person consultations as closely as possible. Another perk: The service is available to healthcare providers even if they are not Verizon subscribers. Big shoutout to the BlueJeans team!
Equinix
Of course, our Verizon Business Group is always busy, and this week is no different. With our new partnership with Equinix, we are expanding the Software-Defined Interconnect solution for Global Enterprise and Public Sector customers.
What exactly does that mean? Customers can connect their private networking services to hundreds of cloud, infrastructure and service providers with automated, same-day connectivity. This solution helps them migrate to the cloud quickly at a lower access cost, which is part of the Verizon Business Network-as-a-Service strategy. Congrats to our teammates on another valuable partnership!
Inside Verizon on LinkedIn
Before we wrap up on this Friday the 13th, some of us on the Up To Speed team are wondering: Are you superstitious? Do you avoid sidewalk cracks to save your mother’s back? Do you not walk under ladders? If so, we’d love to hear about it. Check out our LinkedIn post under our Inside Verizon handle and leave a comment. While you’re there, be sure to follow us to catch all of our great content.
Rai wins gold
When we last mentioned our favorite Olympian Rai Benjamin on Up To Speed, he had won a silver medal. As an update, that weekend, he anchored the men’s 4x400 relay and won gold! Congrats to Rai and thanks for the lesson in perseverance!
The race to watch this Sunday
When you’re not watching AMC+, don’t forget to check out the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard this Sunday. Verizon and GoPro have partnered to bring race fans behind-the-scenes access at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. From pit lane to the driver’s seat, fans will be able to follow along all weekend on social media for both NASCAR and Indy car races. 5G will make this all possible by allowing content editing and upload on-site at the track. Be sure to tune in to Verizon and GoPro on Twitter with the hashtag #5GBuiltRight.
If you have any questions, email them to live@verizon.com.
Click here for a transcript of the webcast.
Get the latest information on our Coronavirus Resource Page (Inside Verizon, The Street).
