4G LTE Rollout in 14 Florida Markets Highlights $205 Million Network Investment in 2011

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The rollout of 4G LTE wireless services in 14 Florida markets highlighted a $205 million network investment by Verizon Wireless in 2011 to deliver the most advanced wireless communication technologies to customers across the state.

Customers in Miami, Orlando, Tampa Bay, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Lakeland, Daytona Beach, Sarasota, Bradenton, Tallahassee, Fort Myers, Pensacola and West Palm Beach – representing nearly 75 percent of the state's population – now have access to the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network, the most advanced wireless technology in the world.

In 2012, the company will continue to expand 4G LTE to cover more Floridians, as well as further reinforce its 3G network, already the nation's largest and most reliable.

"Floridians are very mobile, tech-savvy customers and we are always investing and working to keep our network and services the very best for customers across the state," said Frank Wise, network executive director for the Verizon Wireless Florida region.

Additional highlights of the Verizon Wireless 4G and 3G network investment in Florida during 2011 include:

• Development of the company's first 4G LTE C.O.W. (cell on wheels) in the state, which can be deployed to reinforce 4G LTE services in cases of hurricanes and other emergencies, or for the many large special events, sports championships, festivals, and other large gatherings in Florida that attract visitors from across the world each year.
• Activation of numerous new transmission sites, in addition to software and hardware upgrades to hundreds of existing locations, to reinforce 4G and 3G network coverage throughout the state.
• Upgrades to five "super-switch" network processing centers in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa Bay, Jupiter and Pembroke Pines.  The facilities are designed to withstand Category 5 hurricanes, feature large-scale on-site power generation, and numerous other back-up systems to ensure reliable handling of tens of millions of wireless calls and data transmissions each day.  The super-switches serve as the hub for network operations in the event of hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and any type of disaster response.
• Installation of high-tech in-building systems that use dozens of small wireless transmitters to ensure strong inside coverage at high-priority public safety facilities such as police stations, emergency command centers and hospitals, as well as high-traffic wireless consumer locations such as hotels, resorts and tourist attractions.
• Deployment of technicians and special vehicles to measure connection quality on the Verizon Wireless network versus other carriers. Using sophisticated testing equipment, the local test teams traveled nearly 50,000 miles and conducted more than 200,000 voice call attempts and more than one million data tests to ensure network superiority.

The investment to enhance network reliability in Florida is an ongoing focus for Verizon Wireless.  Since the company formed in 2000, more than $2.3 billion has been invested to build and enhance Verizon Wireless network coverage and services for customers in the state. Nationally, Verizon Wireless has invested more than $65 billion to increase the coverage and capacity of its premier nationwide networks and to add new services. 

For more information on the Verizon Wireless network, visit www.verizonwireless.com.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 107.7 million total wireless connections, including 90.7 million retail customers.  Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with nearly 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD).  For more information, visit 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.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless