Verizon Wireless Creates Network Safety Net for Pope Benedict XVI Visit to New York

Verizon Wireless Creates Network Safety Net for Pope Benedict XVI Visit to New
York
Company's Network Ready for Papal Visit to Yankee Stadium; Cell on Wheels Will
Handle Increased Wireless Traffic as 20,000 Teens Converge on St. Joseph's
Seminary in Yonkers

NEW YORK, April 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless, the builder and
operator of the nation's most reliable wireless network, has assembled
additional network support in key venues in preparation for Pope Benedict
XVI's visit to New York City this weekend.
"Federal, state, and local public safety officials trust the Verizon
Wireless voice and data network to complete their calls and carry mission-
critical data every day, throughout the year," said Mike Haberman, executive
director of Verizon Wireless' New York Metro network. "We are more than
prepared to handle the high volume of traffic expected at Yankee Stadium this
weekend but have taken extra measures to ensure attendees and officials at the
historic Papal events stay connected. We literally are backing up our back-up
facilities to be prepared for surges in calling."
At the request of City officials, the company has placed a Cell on Wheels
(COW) near Yankee Stadium where the Pope will speak on Sunday. The request
was part of the multi-layered security efforts during the Pope's visit and, if
needed, the COW will provide significant network capacity to complement
Verizon Wireless' permanent cell sites nearby.
Verizon Wireless also has placed a COW on the grounds of St. Joseph's
Seminary in Yonkers where more than 20,000 teens are expected to converge for
a Papal Youth Rally on Saturday.
"We expect a big surge in voice calls and anticipate a flood of text and
picture messages as throngs of young people use their wireless devices to
capture and share this special event," Haberman said.
COWs are fully functional, generator-powered mobile cell sites that
enhance wireless capacity, allowing more customers to use their wireless
phones concurrently to make calls, send and receive text and picture messages,
access the Internet, and download games and ringtones. The company placed the
COW on the St. Joseph's campus this week and it is up and running and ready
for tomorrow's rally.
In addition to boosting local facilities, engineers at the Verizon
Wireless Network Operations Control Center in northern New Jersey staff
network control consoles 24/7, and will be paying special attention to Papal
venues to monitor systems performance while a team of field engineers remains
on-call all weekend.
These temporary cell sites and all special event preparations are part of
Verizon Wireless' continuous effort to stay ahead of the growing demand for
Verizon Wireless voice, data and mobile entertainment services. The company
has invested nearly $44 billion since it was formed to increase coverage and
capacity, and to offer customers reliable service across the nation during the
typical day, during emergencies like hurricanes and blackouts, and large
events like the Papal visit and during New Year's Eve in Times Square.
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 (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more
information, go to: 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
www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
SOURCE Verizon Wireless

David Samberg, Verizon Wireless, +1-845-365-7212,
David.Samberg@verizonwireless.com, or Kimberly Ancin, +1-845-429-3839,
kimberly.ancin@vivianipr.com, for Verizon Wireless