MILWAUKEE, March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless today announced its plans to expand coverage in southern Wisconsin. This expansion, which will be completed in the next three months, will bring the nation's most reliable network to approximately 59,000 residents in Walworth, Jefferson and Rock counties.
The new coverage area, which will cover 350 square miles, will include the communities of Jefferson, Helenville, Sullivan, Fort Atkinson, Palmyra, Harmony, Bradford, Cold Spring, La Grange and Whitewater, including the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus.
"Our expansion in southern Wisconsin is in response to the growing population in the area -- specifically in Walworth, Jefferson and Rock Counties -- and to the increasing enrollment at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater," said T.J. Fox, president - Wisconsin/Illinois Region, Verizon Wireless. "We continually strive to perfect our network, and make sure that no matter where our customers live, work and play, they're able to take advantage of all the great services our network has to offer."
High-Speed Features: BroadbandAccess, V CAST
Verizon Wireless customers in the expanded coverage area will now be able to access the company's high-speed wireless network and enjoy two prime services: BroadbandAccess and V CAST multimedia services.
Based on Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) network technology, BroadbandAccess provides mobile workers with the ability to access to 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 through a secure, high-speed data connection.
With BroadbandAccess, users can expect average download speeds of 600 kilobits per second (kbps) to 1.4 megabits per second and average upload speeds of 500-800 kbps. Customers can download a 1 Megabyte e-mail 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. Customers who travel outside the BroadbandAccess coverage area with an EV-DO device will switch seamlessly to Verizon Wireless' existing NationalAccess network.
"Now business customers traveling though and working in the area will be able to take advantage of the benefits in wireless communication -- speed, mobility and security," said Fox. "Highway 12 is a major thoroughfare for the area and this expansion will allow business users to increase their productivity."
The company's high-speed network also enables its V CAST multimedia services, offering 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, sports highlights and the hottest entertainment clips.
V CAST Music, available to customers with V CAST Music-enabled handsets, is the world's most comprehensive, over-the-air mobile music service. Customers with V CAST Music can download song tracks directly to their Verizon Wireless handsets or to PCs equipped with Windows(R) XP operating software. The V CAST Music on demand service includes access to a catalog of more than 2.8 million songs.
Network Investment
The expanded network into Walworth, Jefferson and Rock Counties is part of Verizon Wireless' effort to enlarge its coverage area, improve indoor reception, increase capacity and enhance the quality of its wireless voice and data network in Wisconsin and throughout the country. Since the company was formed in 2000, Verizon Wireless has invested more than $222 million in Wisconsin on improvements to its network to increase the coverage and capacity and to add new services. More than $37 million of this investment was spent in Wisconsin in 2007.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 65.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 69,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, go to: 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.
