BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (Map) - BENTON HARBOR, Mich., March 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless announced today that it has expanded the national rollout of its high-speed wireless network to Union Pier, Bridgman, Benton Harbor, Coloma and a number of other Michigan communities along Interstate 94 and State Highway 63, which connect these cities. The expansion includes the following areas:

-- Along the I-94 corridor as far south as State Highway 12, including portions of New Buffalo, and as far north as State Highway 140 in Watervliet. -- Along State Highway 63, covering the route between St. Joseph and Benton Harbor to Lake Michigan Beach. -- Along I-196 as far south as Interstate 94 and as far north as Hagar Shore Road in Lake Michigan Beach. -- Other towns located within the coverage area include Lakeside, Harbert, Sawyer, Shoreham, Stevensville, Fair Plain and Benton Heights, among others.

"These Michigan communities represent vital markets with dynamic, tech- savvy business people, residents and tourists who want to stay connected," said

Greg Haller, president-Michigan/Indiana/Kentucky Region, Verizon Wireless. "The launch of our broadband network here provides our customers with access to the very latest wireless technology."

With the wireless broadband network now available in Michigan's most populated markets, Verizon Wireless customers in the area now enjoy two prime services:

-- BroadbandAccess, the enhanced high-speed wireless service that equips Verizon Wireless' business customers with a truly untethered mobile office experience, enabling them to wirelessly access their calendars, the Internet, email and critical business information residing behind their companies' firewalls; and -- V CAST, a consumer-oriented multimedia service that gives customers access to the most comprehensive selection of downloadable music, high- quality videos and the coolest 3D games found anywhere.

BroadbandAccess

Based on Evolution-Data Optimized Revision A (EV-DO Rev. A) network technology, BroadbandAccess provides mobile workers with the ability to access their corporate information as if they were attached to this data 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.

With BroadbandAccess, business customers, residents and visitors to these Michigan communities can expect average download speeds of 600 kilobits per second (kbps) to 1.4 megabits per second and average upload speeds of 500 kbps to 800 kbps. That means they can download a 1 megabyte email attachment -- the equivalent of a small PowerPoint(R) presentation or a large PDF file -- in about eight seconds and upload the same-sized file in less than 13 seconds.

BroadbandAccess also enables Verizon Wireless customers to download files approximately 10 times faster than customers of wireless service providers that use different broadly deployed network technologies. Furthermore, customers who travel outside the enhanced BroadbandAccess coverage area with an EV-DO device will switch seamlessly to the company's NationalAccess service.

"Our enhanced BroadbandAccess service gives our customers three key advantages in wireless communication -- speed, mobility and security," Haller said. "With these advantages comes an increase in productivity and bottom-line business benefits."

V CAST: Video and Music

Verizon Wireless' wireless broadband network also enables its V CAST multimedia services, which offer customers the ability to download full-song tracks, play cutting-edge 3D games and stream video clips straight to the handset with top transmission speeds. With content updated daily, customers can watch dozens of on-demand videos, including breaking news, weather updates, sports highlights and the hottest entertainment clips.

With V CAST Music, Verizon Wireless has built a massive full-song mobile music store that contains more than 2.8 million songs -- from well-known as well as independent artists -- that customers can download over-the-air, directly onto their V CAST Music-enabled wireless phones.

Investment

The multi-million dollar expansion includes the installation of high-tech wireless hardware and software in wireless transmission sites throughout the region. Verizon Wireless has invested more than $44 billion since it was formed -- more than $5.5 billion on average every year -- to increase the coverage and capacity of its national network and to add new services. More than $1 billion of this investment was spent in Michigan since 2001. In 2007, the company invested more than $145 million in Michigan network improvements.

Verizon Wireless was the first national wireless provider to commercially launch a high-speed wireless broadband network in the United States. These communities in Michigan are the latest market to be added to the coverage. For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 65.7 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 69,000 employees nationwide. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at 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.