CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.— Hundreds of thousands of music fans will invade the heart of Chattanooga, Tenn. this week for the annual Riverbend Festival, bringing with them cell phones, smartphones and tablets. Verizon Wireless technicians have deployed a high-tech Cell on Wheels (COW) unit to Chattanooga, Tenn. June 10 – 18 to boost coverage for the festival attendees, who are increasingly using wireless devices to shoot and upload videos, pictures and blogs about the festival.

The COW unit will fortify Verizon Wireless’ network coverage in Chattanooga, Tenn. during the expected spike in network traffic during Riverbend, providing enhanced coverage for wireless calls; text, picture and video messages; Internet connections; and other wireless traffic. The COW has a 75-foot telescoping antenna and 11 dedicated voice and high-speed data channels, and it can process thousands of phone calls and data transmissions simultaneously.

Verizon Wireless’ 3G network utilizes the most advanced high-speed Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) wireless technology, providing clearer call reception and faster speeds when sending text or multimedia messages. The deployment of a COW unit for enhanced network coverage at Riverbend is part of Verizon Wireless’ continued commitment to give its Tennessee customers the best coverage possible for their wireless lifestyle.

Verizon Wireless also announced in January it will launch its 4G LTE (Fourth Generation, Long Term Evolution) network in Chattanooga, Tenn. in 2011. The 4G LTE network will usher in
a new era in wireless communications for Chattanoogans with real-time speeds and improved in-building penetration. To date, Verizon has invested more than
$1 billion in the Tennessee network since 2003.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s fastest, most advanced 4G network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 104 million total wireless connections, including more than 88 million retail customers.  Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000 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.

Media Contact:
Karen Schulz
Verizon Wireless
864.987.2006
Karen.Schulz@verizonwireless.com