ST. LOUIS, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless announced today it has expanded its local Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) third generation (3G) wide-area network. Upgrades to 35 cell sites enable coverage expansions that extend outward from the St. Louis hub. Coverage stretches from Missouri west to Wright City, southwest to Sullivan and south to Festus. In Illinois, coverage reaches from St. Louis east to Carlyle and south to Waterloo and Valmeyer.
The expansion means that Verizon Wireless customers in these communities and surrounding areas can access the company's high-speed business and consumer network and enjoy two prime services: BroadbandAccess, the company's high-speed wireless broadband network, which is geared toward mobile professionals and business customers and has average user speeds of 400-700 kilobits per second (kbps); and V CAST, a consumer-oriented multimedia service that offers music and short content on-demand, including cutting-edge 3D games, music videos, news, weather and sports.
"This expansion is part of our continuing focus to invest in our network reliability and provide innovative high-speed data services to more of our customers here in St. Louis, in the surrounding communities and throughout the country," said Mark Crumpton, president-Kansas/Missouri/Southern Illinois Region, Verizon Wireless. "With the expansion of our BroadbandAccess coverage, more mobile and business professionals throughout the bi-state area can now take their desktop experience wherever they go in the coverage area, enabling them to wirelessly access their calendars, the Internet, e-mail and critical business information residing behind corporate firewalls."
Verizon Wireless was the first national wireless provider to commercially launch a high-speed wireless broadband network in the United States. These enhancements in the St. Louis area are among the latest expansions to Verizon Wireless' EV-DO network coverage area, available to more than half the nation's population. Verizon Wireless' broadband network was first introduced in St. Louis on June 1, 2005.
BroadbandAccess
BroadbandAccess provides mobile workers full access to their corporate information as if they were attached to the information 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.
Business customers can access information with BroadbandAccess when they are on the road, at customer locations, at job sites or in taxis. BroadbandAccess customers can download a 1 Megabyte e-mail attachment (for example, a small PowerPoint(R) presentation or a large PDF file) or receive three digital pictures (each 400 x 600 pixels) in less than 20 seconds. Also, customers who travel outside a BroadbandAccess coverage area with an EV-DO device will switch seamlessly to Verizon Wireless' existing NationalAccess network and can experience average data transmission speeds between 60 and 80 kbps with bursts up to 144 kbps.
"BroadbandAccess service gives our enterprise customers two key advantages in wireless communication -- speed and mobility," said Crumpton. "With that comes an increase in productivity and bottom-line business benefits."
V CAST
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 content updated daily, customers can watch dozens of broadcasts including breaking news, weather, sports highlights and the hottest entertainment clips.
V CAST Music, available to customers with V CAST-enabled handsets, is the world's most comprehensive, over-the-air mobile music download service. Customers with V CAST Music can download full-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 1.5 million songs.
Coverage
Verizon Wireless' expansion of BroadbandAccess and V CAST coverage covers the following communities and major highways:
* In Missouri, the coverage expansion extends from Wentzville to Wright
City along Interstate 70; from Eureka to Sullivan along Interstate 44;
and from Arnold to Festus along Interstate 55 including the towns of
Desoto, Cedar Hill and Hillsboro.
* In Illinois, the coverage expansion extends from Shiloh to the Albers
Road exit along Interstates 64/40; from Shiloh to Carlyle along Highway
50; from Columbia to Waterloo along Route 3; and from Waterloo to
Valmeyer along Highway 156.
Product Offering
For a limited time, Verizon Wireless customers with an existing voice plan can receive unlimited BroadbandAccess service for $59.99 monthly access with a new two-year customer agreement. Otherwise, BroadbandAccess is available for $79.99 monthly access with a new one- or two-year customer agreement. BroadbandAccess service also is available as an integrated option on select notebook and laptop computers.
Wireless PC cards for BroadbandAccess customers include the Verizon Wireless PC 5740, Verizon Wireless V620 and Kyocera KPC 650. A new Novatel Wireless V640 card is available for laptop owners with ExpressCard/34 or ExpressCard/54 slots rather than a traditional PCMCIA slot.
In addition, several handsets have the ability to "tether" to a laptop's USB port with the purchase of a Mobile Office Kit. BroadbandAccess-powered PDAs offered by Verizon Wireless include the Motorola QTM, the Palm(R) Treo(TM) 700w and the Palm Treo 700p. Popular BlackBerry(R) options include the new 8703e, the 7250 and 7130e.
To access V CAST video and games, customers need a V CAST-enabled handset and a $15.00 monthly subscription added to their Verizon Wireless calling plan. Currently, nearly 20 music capable handsets are available, including the popular Chocolate by LG and the Motorola RAZR V3m.
Customers with a V CAST Music-enabled handset can pay as they go to download songs directly to their phone for $1.99 per song plus airtime, download songs to their PC for 99 cents, and transfer their existing compatible digital music collection to their V CAST Music-enabled handset or memory card at no charge from their PC. Purchases from the handset include two copies of every song, one for the handset and one for the PC.
For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a local Verizon Wireless Communications Store or go to http://www.verizonwireless.com/.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 57 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 60,000 employees nationwide. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). 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.
