Verizon Wireless has announced that the cell sites and switching facilities of its planned LTE network will be supported by ultra-reliable, variable capacity fibre-optic links provided by Verizon Global Wholesale. The fibre-optic links will connect more than 3,500 Verizon Wireless cell sites and the operator’s mobile telephone switching offices in 25 states and the District of Columbia. Verizon Wireless has been conducting LTE trials in Boston and Seattle since August 2009, with the planned commercial LTE rollout in 25 to 30 markets, covering roughly 100 million people by the end of 2010.

Verizon Global Wholesale and Verizon Wireless announced today that Verizon Telecom’s ultra-reliable, variable capacity fiber-optic links between cell sites and switching facilities will provide critical support for the nation’s first 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network being built by Verizon Wireless.

Verizon Global Wholesale will be providing powerful fiber-optic links between more than 3,500 Verizon Wireless cell sites and the company’s mobile telephone switching offices in 25 states and the District of Columbia, delivering the kind of capacity and reliability the new LTE network demands. This “fiber backhaul” data transmission service delivers cell site traffic of all kinds – voice, Internet and video – as packetized data over fiber-optic Ethernet private line links to and from network switching facilities.

“There can be no weak links in the Verizon Wireless LTE network chain, and Verizon’s network facilities and services not only are robust and reliable, but use the latest technology to offer the capacities and speeds LTE will demand,” said Quintin Lew, senior vice president of marketing for Verizon’s wholesale group. “We are proud to have helped with the initial trials in Boston and Seattle. We appreciate the tremendous leap that LTE represents for wireless broadband services and are committed to supporting the Verizon Wireless vision of the 4G network with ultra-reliable networking that can be scaled up as the LTE network flourishes.”

Nicola Palmer, Verizon Wireless network vice president, said, “We had thought that providing Ethernet backhaul as an LTE enabler would be the long pole to launching LTE. That’s not proving to be the case. Verizon is delivering on their promises to help us grow capacity and maintain reliability in our network.”

Verizon Wireless’ LTE rollout plan positions the company as a global leader in 4G LTE deployment, and it is on track to deliver the nation’s first 4G LTE network to customers in 25 to 30 markets, covering roughly 100 million people by year’s end. Verizon Wireless has been conducting trials in Boston and Seattle since August 2009 that have indicated that the network is capable of peak download speeds of 40 to 50 megabits per second (Mbps), peak upload speeds of 20 to 25 Mbps and average data rates of 5 to 12 Mbps on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink in real-world environments. The speeds are significantly faster than Verizon Wireless and other wireless providers’ current or promised 3G network speeds.

By leveraging its 700 MHz spectrum for LTE deployment in the United States, Verizon Wireless is capable of quickly deploying a high-quality wireless broadband network with excellent coverage and in-building penetration. Verizon Wireless is currently installing LTE equipment at existing cell sites and switching centers around the United States as part of its extensive, ongoing investment in its voice and data network infrastructure.

Visit www.verizonwireless.com/lte for more information about Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network.

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 (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit 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.

About Verizon Global Wholesale

Verizon Global Wholesale is Verizon Wireline’s wholesale products division, meeting the needs of wholesale customers around the globe by providing offerings ranging from traditional voice services to complex data technologies and value-added services. With annual revenues of almost $10 billion, Verizon Global Wholesale offers innovative solutions and world-class service on a state-of-the-art worldwide network. This diverse product set is designed to help telecommunications service providers grow locally and globally.