All Verizon Wireless Stores in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia Opened at Noon Today

LAUREL, Md., Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- As the region begins to dig out from the historic Blizzard of 2010, Verizon Wireless has announced that all of its retail stores in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia opened for business at noon today, February 11, 2010 to assist customers with their wireless needs.

During the storm this past week, local Verizon Wireless stores continued to see steady demand for car chargers and extra batteries for wireless devices, as many in the area were without power, further relying on their Verizon Wireless devices to stay connected with family, work, friends and emergency services as needed.

The Verizon Wireless network weathered the storm without incident, and the company's team of network engineers reported elevated usage but flawless performance.  The Verizon Wireless network is built for reliability in case of weather emergencies like the one experienced this week, with battery back-up power at all facilities along with generators installed at switching facilities and cell site locations.

Verizon Wireless has invested more than $55 billion since 2000 when the company was formed to increase the coverage and capacity of its nationwide wireless network, add new services and enhance the reliability of its nationwide network.  In the Washington, DC/Virginia/Maryland region alone, Verizon Wireless' network investment since 2000 exceeds $2.3 billion, with a total of $274 million in 2009 alone.

For more information about Verizon Wireless, visit www.verizonwireless.com.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 91 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (Nasdaq and LSE: 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