Somerset County, Maryland Residents To Benefit From Verizon Wireless Network Expansion
Laurel, MD - In a continuing effort to provide the best wireless service for residents and visitors in Somerset County, Verizon Wireless has expanded its network with a new cell site on Deal Island. The new cell site increases coverage and capacity along Deal Island Rd. and Oriole Back Rd.
The network expansion is part of an aggressive multi-billion dollar network investment each year to stay ahead of the growing demand for Verizon Wireless' voice and data services. The company spent $300 million to enhance services and coverage throughout Washington, Baltimore and Virginia in 2007, bringing the network investment in the region to more than $1.8B since 2000.
Nationally, the company has invested nearly $44B since it was formed -- $5.5B on average every year -- to offer customers the most reliable service available, including wireless data services such as picture messaging, text messaging, and the company's exclusive V CAST service. V CAST brings video clips of TV shows, music on demand and other multimedia services to wireless phones over Verizon Wireless' high-speed EV-DO network. Verizon Wireless's high-speed third generation wireless broadband network has been enhanced with EV-DO Rev. A technology.
This enhancement allows customers who use the company's flagship business data service, BroadbandAccess, to interact with Web-based applications, download music over-the-air, access to e-mail, everyday corporate data, the Internet, and more at speeds that are eight to nine times faster than before. For example, BroadbandAccess customers with Rev. A compatible devices can now expect average download speeds of 600 kilobits per second (kbps) to 1.4 megabits per second and average upload speeds of 500-800 kbps, which means customers can download a 1 megabyte e-mail attachment -- the equivalent of a small PowerPoint presentation or a large PDF file -- in about eight seconds and upload the same-sized file in less than 13 seconds.
Strong demand for Verizon Wireless services continued during the fourth quarter of 2007 as the company added 2.0 million net new customers. For the 13th consecutive quarter, Verizon Wireless also led the wireless industry in customer loyalty. The company posted a churn (customer turnover) rate of just 1.2%, below the rate reported by the other major wireless carriers.
Verizon Wireless tests its network and those of its competitors to ensure the Verizon Wireless network remains the nation's most reliable. Nationally, Verizon Wireless' real-life test men and women drive 91 specially equipped vehicles almost 1,000,000 miles annually on Interstate, U.S. and state highways, as well as major roads and surface streets in high-population areas, based upon U.S. Census counts, to determine if voice calls and data connections are successful on the first attempt and stay connected. Vehicles are equipped with computers that automatically make more than three million voice call attempts and more than 16 million data tests annually on Verizon Wireless' network and the networks of other carriers.
SOURCE: Verizon Wireless