Verizon Invests $249,000 To Better Serve Wisconsin's Minocqua and Tomahawk Customers

MINOCQUA, Wis. - Verizon customers in the Minocqua and Tomahawk areas will soon have improved communications as the result of a $249,000 investment the company is making to increase the reliability and capacity of its local telecommunications network.

Verizon is installing more than five miles of fiber-optic cable containing 24 fibers and associated electronic equipment between the company's Minocqua and Tomahawk service areas. The cables contain a total of 139 fiber miles, the total distance if all of the fibers in the cable were placed end to end.

This advanced equipment will provide increased high-speed telecommunications capacity for financial institutions, other businesses and government offices in northern Wisconsin and will enable future growth of residential services there. The fiber-optic cable also will increase the survivability of Verizon's advanced telecommunications network. The project will be completed in November.

Verizon continues to install fiber-optic cable throughout the state. Fiber-optic systems use hair-thin glass fibers and digital technology to deliver high-quality telephone service along with sophisticated data communications services.

"The Minocqua-Tomahawk project underlines Verizon's commitment to build and maintain a state-of-the-art telecommunications network throughout Wisconsin," said Dan Matson, Verizon vice president - regulatory and government affairs. "We continue to upgrade our infrastructure to provide rural, suburban and urban customers with better quality service, as well as the platform for high-speed access to the Internet, work-at-home capabilities and a host of other innovative services."

Verizon has invested approximately $210 million in its telecommunications network across the state over the last three years - helping the company expand and modernize a statewide network that now features over 42,000 miles of fiber optics.

In addition to deploying the latest technology, Verizon offers a complete range of telecommunications services, including local, regional and long-distance calling, as well as high-speed data and Internet and wireless services.

Verizon Communications

A Fortune 10 company, Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with 137.6 million access line equivalents and 34.6 million Verizon Wireless customers. Verizon is the third largest long-distance carrier for U.S. consumers, with 14.6 million long-distance lines, and the company is also the largest directory publisher in the world, as measured by directory titles and circulation. With approximately $67 billion in annual revenues and 221,000 employees, Verizon's global presence extends to the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

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