Florida Customers Benefit From Focus on 3G, 4G Wireless Services; $131 Million Invested in Network Enhancements in First Half of 2011

TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless, which operates the nation's fastest, most advanced 4G network and largest, most reliable 3G network, announced today that the company invested $131 million during the first six months of 2011 in Florida to further enhance wireless services and network coverage for its customers across the state.

The 2011 investment to date includes the continued rollout of the company's 4G LTE (Fourth Generation, Long-Term Evolution) network, which now serves the core areas of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Tampa Bay, Orlando, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Gainesville, Sarasota-Bradenton and Lakeland.  The 4G LTE network also serves customers along Duval Street in Key West and in nine airports, including the Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers.

4G LTE provides wireless consumers access to services up to 10 times faster than the company's industry-leading 3G network. With this latest progression of wireless technology, the company expects average data rates in real-world, loaded network environments to be 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink.

These speeds will allow for smooth mobile video-conferencing, multiple simultaneous video streams, speedy transfer of large files, downloading and running of powerful programs, and numerous other applications to improve efficiency and productivity wirelessly.

The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE technology also is designed to improve coverage strength inside buildings, as it runs on a powerful 700 megahertz wireless frequency.

Verizon Wireless also continues to reinforce its 3G network in Florida, which already covers nearly 98 percent of the state's population and landmass.  Enhancement highlights included the construction and activation of numerous new cell sites, as well as hardware and software upgrades to hundreds of sites across the state to improve outdoor and in-building coverage.

"We're committed to upholding our reputation and ratings for the most advanced and reliable 3G wireless network and the fastest, most advanced 4G LTE network and coverage for wireless consumers in Florida," said Pam Tope, Verizon Wireless Florida region president.  

Florida network enhancements in the first half of 2011 include:

• Hardware and software upgrades to five "super-switch" network processing centers across the state (Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa Bay, Jupiter and Pembroke Pines).  The super-switches are designed to withstand Category 5 hurricanes, feature large-scale on-site power generation, various redundant operations and technologies, and 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.

• Deployment of technicians and special vehicles to measure connection quality on the Verizon Wireless network versus other carriers in Florida. Using sophisticated testing equipment in specially designed vehicles, company engineers traveled nearly 50,000 miles and conducted hundreds of thousands of voice call attempts and data tests to ensure network superiority.

• Installation of numerous high-tech in-building systems that use dozens of small wireless transmitters, resembling small smoke detectors, to ensure strong inside coverage.  These systems were installed in 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.

• Enhanced capacity at more than 650 3G (EVDO Rev A) cell sites across the state.

Since the company was formed in 2000, more than $2.2 billion has been invested to build and enhance Verizon Wireless network coverage and services for customers in Florida. Nationally, Verizon Wireless has invested more than $65 billion to increase the coverage and capacity of its nationwide network 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 fastest, most advanced 4G network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 106.3 million total wireless connections, including 89.7 million retail customers.  Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 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