CARBONDALE, Ill., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless announced today that it has expanded the national rollout of its high-speed wireless network across extensive portions of southern Illinois, including the Carbondale and Marion metropolitan areas in addition to Carmi, Chester, Harrisburg, Metropolis, Mt. Carmel, Mt. Vernon, Red Bud and numerous other communities within an 18-county region.
"Southern Illinois represents a vital market with dynamic, tech-savvy residents -- including many business people and students -- who want to stay connected," said Lou Sigillo, president-Kansas/Missouri/Southern Illinois Region, Verizon Wireless. "The launch of our broadband network here provides our customers with access to the very latest wireless technology."
With the wireless broadband network now available, Verizon Wireless customers in the area can enjoy two prime services:
-- BroadbandAccess, the enhanced high-speed wireless service that equips Verizon Wireless' business customers with a truly untethered mobile office experience, enabling them to wirelessly access their calendars, the Internet, email and critical business information residing behind their companies' firewalls; and -- V CAST, a consumer-oriented multimedia service that gives customers access to the most comprehensive selection of downloadable music, high-quality videos and the coolest 3D games found anywhere. BroadbandAccess
Based on Evolution-Data Optimized Revision A (EV-DO Rev. A) network technology, BroadbandAccess provides mobile workers with the ability to access their corporate information as if they were attached to this data via a high-speed wired connection but with the freedom of true mobility. Developed with a range of users in mind, the service enables large enterprises, small to medium-sized businesses and mobile professionals to conduct business anytime, anywhere in the BroadbandAccess coverage area via a secure, true high-speed data connection.
With BroadbandAccess, business customers, residents and visitors to these Illinois communities can expect average download speeds of 600 kilobits per second (kbps) to 1.4 megabits per second and average upload speeds of 500 kbps to 800 kbps. That means they can download a 1 megabyte email attachment -- the equivalent of a small PowerPoint(R) presentation or a large PDF file -- in about eight seconds and upload the same-sized file in less than 13 seconds.
BroadbandAccess also enables Verizon Wireless customers to download files approximately 10 times faster than customers of wireless service providers that use different, broadly deployed network technologies. Furthermore, customers who travel outside the enhanced BroadbandAccess coverage area with an EV-DO device will switch seamlessly to the company's NationalAccess service.
Verizon Wireless offers several BroadbandAccess devices for the company's wireless broadband network, including the AirCard 595U and USB727 wireless modems, the KPC680 ExpressCard and PCS5750 PC Card, among others. Customers can get BroadbandAccess service for unlimited Internet browsing, email and intranet access for $59.99 monthly access with a new one- or two-year customer agreement.
"Our enhanced BroadbandAccess service gives our customers three key advantages in wireless communication -- speed, mobility and security," Sigillo said. "With these advantages comes an increase in productivity and bottom-line business benefits."
V CAST: Video and Music
The company's wireless broadband network also enables its V CAST multimedia services, which offer customers the ability to download full-song tracks, play cutting-edge 3D games and stream video clips straight to the handset with top transmission speeds. With content updated daily, customers can watch dozens of on-demand videos, including breaking news, weather updates, sports highlights and the hottest entertainment clips.
With V CAST Music, Verizon Wireless has built a massive full-song mobile music store that contains more than 2.1 million songs -- from well-known as well as independent artists -- that customers can download over-the-air, directly onto their V CAST Music-enabled wireless phones.
At just $15 per month, a VPak subscription provides Verizon Wireless customers with unlimited usage of V CAST Music, V CAST Video, Mobile Web 2.0 and Get It Now(R).
Coverage
Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess and V CAST coverage in southern Illinois includes the following communities, places of interest, and major roadways:
-- I-64 from the town of Okawville to Grayville on the state's eastern edge -- I-57 from Mt. Vernon south to Ullin, Ill. -- I- 24 from Goreville south to Metropolis, Ill. -- Metropolitan areas of Carbondale, Marion and Murphysboro, stretching north into the towns of DuQuoin, Christopher and Benton, Ill. -- The campus of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Rend Lake Community College and John A. Logan College -- A multitude of towns and roadways -- stretching from as far west as Red Bud to Mt. Carmel on the east, and from as far north as Cisne to Brookport on the southern edge of Illinois -- within the state's Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Massac, Perry, Pope, Randolph, Saline, Union, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White and Williamson counties Investment
The multi-million dollar expansion includes the installation of high-tech wireless hardware and software in wireless transmission sites throughout the region. Verizon Wireless has invested more than $40 billion since it was formed in 2000 to increase the coverage and capacity of its national network and to add new services. This investment -- averaging more than $5 billion annually -- represents a significant commitment to Verizon Wireless' current and future customers. More than $101 million of this investment was spent in southern Illinois, and stretching north into the Metro East area near St. Louis, from 2003 to 2007. In 2007 alone, Verizon Wireless invested $21.6 million in southern Illinois and Metro East wireless network improvements.
Verizon Wireless was the first national wireless provider to commercially launch a high-speed wireless broadband network in the United States. These communities in southern Illinois are the latest market to be added to the coverage.
For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to http://www.verizonwireless.com/.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 63.7 million customers. The largest U.S. wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 68,000 employees nationwide. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone . 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.
