Device Arena

Customers traveling this summer don’t have to go far to find unique places to visit according to Verizon Wireless’ Test Men and Women. The company’s real-life Test Men and Women see some of the country’s most interesting places – from the Blue Ridge Mountains on the border of West Virginia to Metropolis, Ill., and Lake Texoma on the Oklahoma/Texas border to the Four Corners of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah – as they travel close to 1 million miles every year testing network performance, call quality and data network performance.

Verizon Wireless has posted new profiles on the company’s Test Men and Women Web site, located at http://news.vzw.com/testdriver/index.html. The profiles include answers to questions about the company’s network testing and enhancement efforts, including most unique places to test the network, how the company uses the data collected, and thoughts on why Verizon Wireless needs to test its network every day.

Verizon Wireless’ real-life Test Men and Women – who inspired the company’s iconic Test Man advertising campaign – travel from coast to coast conducting more than 3 million voice call attempts and more than 16 million data tests annually on the Verizon Wireless network and the networks of competitors. The collected data helps Verizon Wireless plan the company’s network improvement program, including placement of new cellular sites and expansion of existing call capabilities in growing communities. Over the past year, Verizon Wireless spent $6.5 billion to build and expand its nationwide network.

Among the Test Men picks for favorite U.S. spots are:

Other favorites mentioned by Verizon Wireless’ Test Men and Women include the mountains of Kentucky, recommended by Midwest Area Test Man Mike Trudell; Wild West City in Netcong, N.J., recommended by Northeast Area Test Woman Aline Griffith; Reynolds Plantation near Lake Oconee, Ga., recommended by South Area Test Man DeAnthony Norwood; and California’s Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, recommended by West Area Test Man Dan Kasper. To read all of the Verizon Wireless Test Men and Women’s favorite U.S. testing spots, visit http://news.vzw.com/testdriver/index.html.

Verizon Wireless invites members of the news media who are interested in participating in ride-along test drives with the Test Men and Women from their area to see first-hand how the company monitors and tests its network to ensure efficient operation. Media interested in scheduling a ride-along or interview, can visit http://news.vzw.com/testdriver/index.html and e-mail or call the media contact listed under the appropriate profile.

Verizon