Verizon Wireless Network Primed and Ready for Democratic Party Convention

Company adds new cell sites, expands capacity of existing sites and maximizes all network elements in the Mile High City to handle anticipated landslide of calls and data connections. 

DENVER, Aug. 18 -- From the call-to-order to the final gavel, Verizon Wireless expects to handle five million more calls and data transmissions than normal during the August 25-28 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Denver. Verizon Wireless' network is ready. The operator of the nation's most reliable voice and data network just completed months of preparation and fine-tuning city wide.
"With the arrival of an estimated 5,000 delegates, 15,000 media members and thousands of other visitors to the city during the DNC, our customers will be talking, texting, navigating and e-mailing with their wireless phones and devices at a record-setting pace," said Melanie Braidich, regional president for Verizon Wireless. "In keeping with our commitment to providing the reliable, high-quality service customers expect from Verizon Wireless, we have taken extraordinary steps to deliver the best possible wireless experience at all convention locations."

A solid campaign strategy

Verizon Wireless' preparations include:

1) Adding three new cell sites downtown and installing a fully functional, mobile "cell-on-wheels" (COW) near the convention location that will allow thousands of extra calls and data transmissions to take place at the same time. The COW is part of a fleet of mobile cell sites the company maintains not only to enhance service surrounding large-scale events like the DNC, but also in times of natural disasters.

2) Increasing voice and data capacity across the existing wireless network in Denver, with special emphasis in the downtown area. Recent software upgrades at specific cell sites in the city double the voice capacity while boosting the data handling capacity up to four-fold.

3) Enhancing in-building coverage with special signal boosters and repeaters in area hotels, parking garages and key convention sites.

4) Fully staffing and operating a dedicated network Emergency Operations Center (EOC) 24 hours-a-day during the course of the convention.

5) Providing back-up microwave facilities in the event of fiber-line interruption or other landline connection failure.

6) Checking and re-checking built-in network redundancy features including the battery back-up power at all facilities and generators installed at all switching facilities and many cell site locations.

Grass roots investment

The company's ongoing network investment now totals more than $700 million in Colorado and $45 billion nationally since 2000 when the company was formed. In 2007, Verizon Wireless invested $102 million to expand and enhance its wireless network in Colorado, including the addition of 19 new cell sites. Already this year, the company has installed 23 more sites in Colorado and completed the upgrade of its entire 3G network to Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A).

The Rev. A data network allows customers the ability to wirelessly download and upload e-mail, corporate data, videos, access the Internet and more at even faster speeds than the previous broadband network.

A winning ticket

Verizon Wireless, the most widely used brand of service in wireless, continues to be the wireless leader in customer loyalty. For the 15th consecutive quarter, Verizon Wireless led the industry in customer loyalty according to data released by the nation's largest wireless carriers over the past three weeks. Verizon Wireless, the leading wireless company with the most reliable wireless voice and data network, reported the lowest customer churn (turnover) in the second quarter of 2008.