Verizon hopes to make regional splash
Posted on Friday, March 14, 2008
Beginning Saturday, Northwest Arkansas residents will officially have another option for wireless service.
Verizon Wireless recently expanded its network to encompass Fayetteville, Bentonville, Rogers and Springdale by adding 48 advanced digital cell towers in Northwest Arkansas since December.
"We're launching our commercial network on Saturday," said Tom Massey, district manager for Verizon Wireless. "We'll be present at six Wal-Marts across Northwest Arkansas."
Company representatives will be at the Northwest Arkansas Mall on Saturday to provide area residents with access to a variety of Verizon products.
"People will see our Verizon Hummers in the area during the next few days," Massey said. "We'll have a presence in six markets including Bentonville and Fayetteville. We'll have data teams on hand and opportunities for customers to win free phones and use our service."
Massey said Verizon Wireless entered Arkansas in December 2005. Since then, the company has invested nearly $ 90 million in the state. The company is the only major carrier with a 30-day network test-drive pledge that pays for calls if a customer isn't satisfied and switches to another carrier, he said.
"Verizon Wireless is the network," he said. "Our slogan says'We're America's most reliable network, ' and that's the truth."
As part of the company's ongoing commitment to domestic violence prevention, Verizon Wireless has partnered with local domestic and violence agencies / shelters in Arkansas to increase domestic violence awareness across the state through HopeLine - a phone recycling program exclusive to Verizon Wireless that uses refurbished and recycled wireless equipment and services to help domestic violence victims.
Massey said the company also plans to develop a retail presence in Northwest Arkansas.
"Verizon is the second largest market in the country," he said. "We have 65 million customers and have been ranked number one in customer service for the last seven years."
Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N. J., the company began as a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone.
Network-powered services and features offered by Verizon Wireless include broadband access, V Cast for video clips, V Cast Music for downloading music, V CAST TV for broadcast and cable television content, 3-D games and other multimedia services. The company also offers national access enabling customers to stay connected coast to coast on laptops and handsets.
"We spend $ 14 million a day on our products and services," Massey said. "A quarter of every dollar we make goes back to network support."
A number of reliability features are also offered through Verizon Wireless. In addition to two 24 / 7 network operation centers, each facility is equipped with battery backup power. Generators are installed at all switching facilities, as well as many cell sites. The company also owns a fleet of portable generators that can be deployed to provide emergency power during extended power outages to cell sites without permanent generators.
For more information or product details, go online to www. verizonwireless. com.
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