PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless today announced that it has completed $240 million in enhancements to its Pennsylvania wireless voice and data network in 2005. The local investment, part of more than $25 billion invested nationwide over the past five years, included adding and updating cell sites and opening a new switching facility in Plymouth Meeting, Pa., to improve call handling capacity and call quality, increase coverage and expand advanced data services like wide-area wireless broadband access, text and video messaging and other applications for businesses and consumers.
The company also continued to invest in redundancy capabilities designed to keep the network operating during power outages and in its rigorous network quality assurance program- daily testing to analyze network reliability and assist the company in targeting improvements.
"Reliable wireless networks are not built overnight," said Christine Baron, Verizon Wireless' Philadelphia Tri-State region president. "While our competitors focus on integrating divergent networks and on image makeovers, Verizon Wireless continues to efficiently invest in network enhancements to deliver what our customers want most: the best, most reliable wireless voice and data network."
During 2005, test results consistently showed that the number of ineffective attempts for the Verizon Wireless network was lowest among carriers serving the Philadelphia region. Test results also indicated that calls connected on the Verizon Wireless network were more likely to stay connected for the duration of the call.
As part of its ongoing state-wide investment in Pennsylvania, the following network enhancements were made in 2005:
* Verizon Wireless added numerous cell sites and significantly increased
call-handling capacity on existing cell sites, providing the benefits of
expanded wireless coverage and fewer blocked or dropped calls. The
enhancements also enabled more customers to use their wireless phones
concurrently at large-scale public gatherings like this past summer's
Live 8 concert on Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Additional cell sites and
upgrades to existing sites' call-handling capabilities are planned for
2006.
* In Philadelphia, new cell sites improved coverage and capacity along
Septa's R7 Chestnut Hill East Regional Rail line, along Center City's
Benjamin Franklin Parkway, at the Philadelphia International Airport, in
the South Philadelphia stadium complex area and at West Chester and
Lehigh universities. In addition, high-tech in-building systems were
installed at Lincoln Financial Field and the Market East SEPTA train
station.
* More than 200 existing cell sites in the Philadelphia region were
upgraded to enable the company's EV-DO high-speed wireless broadband
service, called BroadbandAccess. In the Philadelphia area, Verizon
Wireless expanded BroadbandAccess, the nation's largest high-speed
wireless broadband network, to more than 60% of the region's population,
with plans for additional regional expansion in 2006. The company also
completed work on a multimillion-dollar network switching center in
Plymouth Meeting, Pa., to stay ahead of steadily growing demand for the
company's voice and data services in Chester, Berks, Montgomery, Bucks,
Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties.
* In early 2005, the company's V CAST consumer service, enabled by the
BroadbandAccess (EV-DO) network, launched throughout the Philadelphia
region. The industry's first and only wireless broadband multimedia
service for consumers enables high-speed downloads of video clips, games
and other applications onto wireless phones and PDAs.
* The company installed additional generators at cell sites throughout the
Philadelphia Region. More than 75 percent of Verizon Wireless' cell
sites in the Philadelphia region have permanent generators and every
cell site has hours of battery backup to keep the network operating and
customer's calls going through during commercial power outages.
Additionally, the company owns a fleet of portable generators that can
be deployed to provide emergency power during extended power outages to
cell sites without permanent generators.
Last year, Verizon Wireless' team of 60 real-life test men and women made more than 3.6 million calls and traveled more than 1.2 million miles nationwide, testing the company's network on frequently traveled roadways. The company's reputation for having the most reliable national network is based on studies performed by these real-life test men and women who inspired the company's national television advertising campaign.
Demand for Verizon Wireless services continued during 2005 as the company set new records for net new customers - nearly 5.5 million during the first three quarters of the year - and for customer loyalty - posting the lowest rate of customer turnover in the industry during the first nine months of 2005. Verizon Wireless now serves 49.3 million customers nationwide.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 49.3 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at http://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 http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
