LAUREL, Md., Feb. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- With Punxsutawney Phil predicting six more weeks of winter, cold weather fans are gearing up for end of season getaways. Verizon Wireless customers travel with the nation's largest and most reliable wireless network, keeping them connected and at least a little more secure whether heading cross-town or cross-country.
The VerizonWirelessTV channel on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/VerizonWirelessTV) features three video vignettes about wireless communication and the important role the Verizon Wireless network played when weather got rough for customers, both away and at home.
Winter Weather Can Change Quickly, Affecting Travel
In Colorado's Rocky Mountains, driving conditions can change fast. During a road trip, one Verizon Wireless customer and her fiancee found out that a reliable network can truly be a lifeline. View the video "He Wouldn't Be Here Today If It Wasn't For Verizon Wireless" at: http://www.youtube.com/user/VerizonWirelessTV#p/u/33/q6XjF1EC5A0.
Ice and Snow Storms Make Winter Wonderlands, They Also Make Communication More Important Than Ever
During last year's devastating ice storm in Kentucky, Verizon Wireless' network stayed up and running even as ice covered trees and roads and electrical power was lost across the state, and kept visitors, residents and safety officials connected throughout the storm. View the video "Kentucky Ice Storm" at: http://www.youtube.com/user/VerizonWirelessTV#p/u/40/Plk7nedhjzI.
One winter, Colorado was snowed-in, but Verizon Wireless' network team kept going. Two network technicians used a snow cat to reach a mountaintop location to refuel an emergency generator that powered cell sites along a snowy stretch of interstate to ensure customers stayed connected during the record-breaking Rocky Mountain storm. See the video, "Verizon Wireless Network Weathers Colorado Storm," at: http://www.youtube.com/user/VerizonWirelessTV#p/u/36/tyL6esauAjY.
Tips to Brace Your Wireless Communications for the Cold
Customers' wireless phones or PDAs can be life savers in winter. Verizon Wireless offers the following tips to prepare wireless phones to work best when it's cold outside:
-- Charge phones or PDAs frequently. Cold temperatures can run down the phone's battery charge more quickly. Use a car charger to keep the phone's charge if you get stranded or stuck in traffic on icy or snowy roads. -- Handle your handset with care. The display screen can become brittle when exposed to cold temperatures for long periods of time. -- Keep your phone in a warm place; avoid leaving it in an outside pocket or backpack or in the car overnight. Prolonged exposure to the cold may affect the phone's display screen. When outside in the cold weather, carry your phone in an inside jacket pocket, keeping it close to your body for warmth. -- Check your phone's signal strength in a non-emergency situation to know where the signal is strong and where it's not. -- Maintain a list of emergency phone numbers -- police, fire and rescue agencies; power companies; insurance providers; family, friends and co-workers; etc. -- and program them into your phone. Add highway department and school numbers to check for local road and school closings and "no tow" orders. -- Be prepared before heading outside by checking weather, traffic and news reports available on most wireless phones.
Verizon Wireless has invested more than $55 billion since it was formed -- $5.5 billion on average every year -- to increase the coverage and capacity of its premier nationwide network and to add new services. In 2009 alone, Verizon Wireless invested $7 billion to expand and advance its network. For more information about Verizon Wireless, visit http://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 and Vodafone (Nasdaq and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit 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.
Verizon Wireless
CONTACT: Melanie Ortel, +1-240-568-1429,
Melanie.Ortel@VerizonWireless.com, or Sherri Cunningham, +1-202-364-5856,
Twitter, @VZWPRDC
Web Site: http://www.verizonwireless.com/
