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With Hurricane Earl Approaching, Verizon Wireless Offers Tips for Staying in Touch

    --  Have additional charged wireless batteries and car-charger adapters
        available for back-up power
    --  Keep wireless phone batteries fully charged - in case local power is
        lost - well before warnings are issued
    --  Keep phones, batteries, chargers and other equipment in a dry,
        accessible location
    --  Maintain a list of emergency phone numbers - police, fire, and rescue
        agencies; power companies; insurance providers; family, friends and
        co-workers; etc. - and program them into your phone
    --  Distribute wireless phone numbers to family members and friends
    --  Forward your home phone calls to your wireless number if you evacuate
    --  For smartphone users, download in advance useful apps like "Flashlight."

Once a severe storm begins to hit, the company also urges the following actions:

    --  Limit non-emergency calls to conserve battery power and free-up wireless
        networks for emergency agencies and operations.
    --  Send brief text messages rather than voice calls for the same reasons as
        above.
    --  Check weather and news reports with wireless phone applications like
        "WeatherBug" to get the latest storm news on the go, and when power is
        out

"The key for Verizon Wireless is to provide our customers with reliable wireless service when and where they need it most," said Mike Maiorana, regional president for Verizon Wireless. "Our network teams are watching Earl closely. We are prepared to make sure our wireless service remains strong and available for customers to stay connected."

Verizon Wireless has invested more than $59 billion since it was formed in 2000 to increase the coverage and capacity of its premier nationwide network and to add new services. In the Washington, DC/Virginia/Maryland region alone, Verizon Wireless' network investment since 2000 exceeds $2.3 billion, with a total of $274 million in 2009 alone. In addition, the company has continued the intensive, sustained investments and preparations that proved critical during and after past years' extraordinary storm seasons.

To hear firsthand from customers who experienced the reliability of the Verizon Wireless network during the 2010 Nor'easter, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPy4w3cgZvk.

To stay on top of Hurricane updates, visit: www.nhc.noaa.gov. For information about landline communications during emergencies, visit: http://newscenter.verizon.com/press-releases/verizon/2010/verizon-offers-east-coast.html.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 92 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 79,000 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.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless