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Verizon Wireless Expands EVDO Rev-A Wireless Broadband Network to to Champaign-Urbana, Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill., Jan. 25  -- Verizon Wireless announced today that it has expanded the national rollout of its high-speed wireless network to the Champaign-Urbana, Ill., area.

The expansion spans approximately 4,900 square miles around the cities of Champaign, Urbana, Danville, Charleston, Mattoon and surrounding communities and covers routes between Decatur and Danville along U.S. Interstate 74 and between Rantoul and Neoga along U.S. Interstate 57. Other towns located within the coverage area include St. Joseph, Shelbyville, Monticello, Sullivan and Arthur.

Verizon Wireless' broadband network was introduced in Illinois in Chicagoland in January 2005. It was expanded to the Springfield-Decatur market in 2006, to the Peoria market in 2007 and to the Rockford metropolitan area earlier this month.

"Champaign-Urbana is a vital area with dynamic, tech-savvy business people and consumers who want to stay connected," said T.J. Fox, president-Illinois/Wisconsin Region, Verizon Wireless. "The expansion of our broadband network in Champaign-Urbana and the surrounding area provides our customers with access to the very latest wireless technology."

With the wireless broadband network now available in Champaign-Urbana and the surrounding area, Verizon Wireless customers in these communities can enjoy two prime services:

    -- BroadbandAccess, the enhanced high-speed wireless service that equips
       Verizon Wireless' business customers with a truly untethered mobile
       office experience, enabling them to wirelessly access their calendars,
       the Internet, email and critical business information residing behind
       their companies' firewalls; and
    -- V CAST, a consumer-oriented multimedia service that gives customers
       access to the most comprehensive selection of downloadable music,
       high-quality videos and the coolest 3D games found anywhere.

BroadbandAccess

Based on Evolution-Data Optimized Revision A (EV-DO Rev. A) network technology, BroadbandAccess provides mobile workers with the ability to access their corporate information as if they were attached to this data via a high-speed wired connection but with the freedom of true mobility. Developed with a range of users in mind, the service enables large enterprises, small to medium-sized businesses and mobile professionals to conduct business anytime, anywhere in the BroadbandAccess coverage area via a secure, true high-speed data connection.

With BroadbandAccess, business customers, residents and visitors can expect average download speeds of 600 kilobits per second (kbps) to 1.4 megabits per second and average upload speeds of 500 kbps to 800 kbps. That means they can download a 1 megabyte email attachment -- the equivalent of a small PowerPoint® presentation or a large PDF file -- in about eight seconds and upload the same-sized file in less than 13 seconds.

BroadbandAccess also enables Verizon Wireless customers to download files approximately 10 times faster than customers of wireless service providers that use different broadly deployed network technologies. Furthermore, customers who travel outside the enhanced BroadbandAccess coverage area with an EV-DO device will switch seamlessly to the company's NationalAccess service.

"Our enhanced BroadbandAccess service gives our customers three key advantages in wireless communication-speed, mobility and security," Fox said. "With these advantages comes an increase in productivity and bottom-line business benefits."

V CAST: Video and Music

The company's wireless broadband network also enables its V CAST multimedia services, which offer customers the ability to download full-song tracks, play cutting-edge 3D games and stream video clips straight to the handset with top transmission speeds. With content updated daily, customers can watch dozens of on-demand videos, including breaking news, weather updates, sports highlights and the hottest entertainment clips.

With V CAST Music, Verizon Wireless has built a massive full-song mobile music store that contains more than 2.5 million songs -- from well-known as well as independent artists -- that customers can download over-the-air, directly onto their V CAST Music-enabled wireless phones.

Investment

The multi-million dollar expansion includes the installation of high-tech wireless hardware and software in wireless transmission sites throughout the area. Verizon Wireless has invested more than $40 billion since it was formed -- more than $5 billion on average every year -- to increase the coverage and capacity of its national network and to add new services. More than $1 billion of this investment was spent in Illinois.

Verizon Wireless was the first national wireless provider to commercially launch a high-speed wireless broadband network in the United States, which is available to more than 210 million people across the country.

Related Links:

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