Southwestern Oregon to Benefit from Verizon Wireless Network Expansion

Company’s voice and data coverage grows by more than 4,000 square miles.

Verizon Wireless employees in the switch control room. Salem-News.com Business Report

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - After six months of intensive investment, Verizon Wireless has expanded its digital voice and high-speed data network in Southwestern Oregon.

Residents and travelers to Roseburg and Grants Pass, will notice not only enhanced voice coverage, but also broadband data speeds for access to the Internet and e-mail, and downloading music, games and videos.

Customers in the coastal communities of: Bandon, Brookings, Coos Bay, Gold Beach, North Bend, Reedsport, Port Orford, and Winchester Bay, and travelers along Interstate 5 from Ashland to the Canadian border as well as Highway 101 from Brookings to Astoria will also enjoy the benefits of broadband speeds on the nation’s most reliable wireless network.

The expansion was made possible by Verizon Wireless’ purchase of the operating assets of Ramcell in July of 2007, and includes additional network coverage and capacity as well as EV-DO Rev. A technology. Rev. A offers average data speeds of 500-800 kilobits per second (kbps). Users can download a 1 Megabyte e-mail attachment – the equivalent of a small PowerPoint® presentation or a large PDF file – in about 20 seconds.

"This is an important expansion for residents and travelers to Southwestern Oregon whom we have been serving through roaming partners." said Kelley Kurtzman, Verizon Wireless regional president. "Now we can offer local residents and businesses all the benefits of Verizon Wireless’ network. In addition, local customers will be able to shop for and choose our wireless products and services from a variety of local agents."

The agents include:

• Al’s Electronics in Brookings
• Oregon Satellite & Home Entertainment in Coos Bay
• DR Cell Phone in Roseburg
• Phones Plus in Roseburg and North Bend
• Wal-Mart in Coos Bay, Grants Pass and Roseburg.

Verizon Wireless’ ongoing network investment now totals more than $442 million in Oregon over the past seven years. The company has invested more than $44 billion nationwide since the company was formed – on average $5.5 billion each year.

"We are so confident in our network that we are inviting new customers to take a 30-day test drive," said Kurtzman. "If they are not completely satisfied with their experience they can take their number to another carrier and we will refund their money for calls, equipment, activation fee and taxes."

The company’s ‘most reliable national network’ claim is based on network studies performed by real-life test men and test women who inspired the company’s national advertising campaign. These engineers drive nearly 100 specially equipped vehicles over 240,000 miles on average each quarter on Interstate, US and state highways as well as major roads and surface streets.

Test vehicles are equipped with computers that automatically make more than 750,000 call attempts and more than four million data tests quarterly on the Verizon Wireless’ network and the networks of other carriers.

Verizon Wireless’ national network reliability is also supported by industry-leading redundancy and maintenance measures, which have proven particularly valuable during natural disasters and other emergencies. In fact, high flood waters along the Oregon coast late last year had minimal impact on Verizon Wireless’ network.

Standard Verizon Wireless network reliability includes battery back-up power at all facilities as well as generators installed at all switching facilities and many cell site locations. The company also operates a fleet of mobile generators and temporary cell sites, or cells-on-wheels, ready for deployment for emergencies.

When high flood waters hit Oregon last year, the company deployed a Cell on Wheels (COW) mobile cell site to Vernonia, Oregon to provide wireless network coverage to area residents and emergency responders.