EAST HARTFORD, CT — Verizon Wireless is helping golf fans "make the call" at this week's Buick Championship golf tournament in Cromwell. The nation's most reliable wireless operator has brought in a portable cell site or "COW," for Cell On Wheels, to handle the increased volume of calls and data messages expected from its customers' mobile phones and laptops during the tournament.
The "Cell On Wheels" (COW), a fully functional, generator-powered cell site, is positioned to effectively double wireless capacity on the Verizon Wireless network in the area. The COW has the same call capacity as a freestanding cell site.
"With the number of fans converging on such a small area, not to mention media and the golfers themselves, we anticipate a significant increase in wireless activity over what we would normally see in this area," said Michael Malenich, network director of system performance for Verizon Wireless New England. "The COW will provide the additional capacity needed to provide the level of quality service our customers expect from us."
Verizon Wireless has used similar COWs at the recent National Boy Scout Jamboree in Virginia, the Democratic National Convention, the Republican National Convention, the Phish farewell tour and in various Florida locations after hurricane damage.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 47.4 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at 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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