A slam dunk.
How Verizon is showing up in the new Disney+ original movie Chang Can Dunk.
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On today’s live edition of Up To Speed, Raquel and Jenn joined us from Basking Ridge to talk about our first Demo Day, a Hollywood primetime moment for Verizon and a very special V Team anniversary.
Demo Day
George came to us from the Basking Ridge cafeteria with a sneak peak of all the action at today’s event. From product demos of the Razor Edge 5G and even a brand-new yellow iPhone 14 & 14+ model and Apple bundle offer, Demo Day featured the latest and greatest products and tech from Verizon across the business.
Network enhancements
The Network team has been hard at work deploying more 5G, upgrading our fiber backhaul, bandwidth and building new cell sites across the country.
As a result of these efforts, Verizon has won every single RootMetrics metro test conducted in the following cities: Dayton, OH; Toledo, OH; Louisville, KY; Lancaster, PA; Omaha, NE; Greensboro, NC; and Temecula, CA.
We also heard from four of our Vice Presidents of Engineering and Operations, Phillip French, Dean Brauer, Eric Lia and Julie Slattery on exactly what these efforts mean for our customers.
According to Dean, “What we’re doing now is an enabler of future technologies.” Eric added that this will result in “much faster speeds going through the network.”
All of this is being done to ensure that “we maintain our position as the best network in the industry," said Julie —and Phillip agreed— saying that this hard work means there’s “no stopping us.”
Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband now reaches 200 million people
Our engineers are working hard to expand coverage and introduce 5G Ultra Wideband service into more rural and suburban areas, so be on the lookout for more news on how we’re reaching more customers where they are.
Inaugural IDEAward Ceremony
The Verizon Law Firm and Supplier Diversity Committee recently presented the inaugural Verizon Law Firm IDEAward, recognizing excellence in inclusion, diversity and equity to Jackson Lewis, one of Verizon's law firm partners.
In addition to Jackson Lewis, Verizon recognized three other Diversity Champion law firms: Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP; McDermott Will & Emery; and Reed Smith LLP. The event featured a panel discussion on best practices, as well as programs and innovations designed to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
Women in Tech
We recently unveiled our new Women’s History Month series Bring the Change, Don’t Wait for it!, exclusive to our Verizon LinkedIn page.
Tune in this Thursday, March 9th at 1pm ET for Episode two of the series, “The pathways to success as a #WomaninTech.”
This episode will be hosted by our Verizon WAVE employee resource group and moderated by Mark Tina, VP of Business Sales for Verizon Business, and VP of Client Services & Portfolio Management for Verizon Business, Shelly Ashwill.
Episode two features former V Teamer Judy Spitz, founder of Break Through Tech, and Flora White, managing director of Girls in Tech. You’ll also hear from two women who’ve gone onto success after being a part of those two great programs, and find out what resources have emboldened them in their technology careers.
International Women’s Day Event
And, be sure to tune in tomorrow to our special International Women’s Day on Up To Speed at 12pm ET. Come with questions, as you’ll have an opportunity to hear from women leaders from across the business offering advice on the topics you want to hear about.
Chang Can Dunk on Disney+
It’s not every day that a Verizon store gets its moment under the Hollywood lights. On Friday, March 10th, a new Disney+ original movie Chang Can Dunk will be released on the streaming platform. And the best part? It features a Verizon store!
In the film, 16-year-old high schooler Chang tries to impress Kristy, the new girl on the marching band, betting his school rival and captain of the basketball team that he can dunk a basketball within 12 weeks' time. To help him win the bet, he enlists help from his friend–and Verizon retail employee–Deandre, and the rest is history.
Check out the trailer for the movie, and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a special Verizon cameo.
Michael Bray’s 50th Verizon anniversary
What better way to close out an episode of Up To Speed than to celebrate a V Team anniversary? On March 12th, V Teamer Michael Bray will celebrate his 50th year at Verizon. Michael has been with the company since 1973, through every stage of our existence, serving in more than 25 roles. Michael first started his career with directory assistance at New England Telephone and is now Tech Project Manager on the Site Reliability Engineering team. Thank you, Michael, for your tremendous contributions to Verizon!
If you have any questions, email them to live@verizon.com.
