Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Verizon Wireless Challenges Competitors: Will You Be Ready for Local Number Portability on November 24th?

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 15:56:41 -0400

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030910/nyw101_1.html

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for Your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark
Printer at Myinks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
http://us.click.yahoo.com/l.m7sD/LIdGAA/qnsNAA/61FxlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 

Search - Finance Home - Yahoo! - Help

Welcome,
marcel_rf1
[Sign
Out]

Money Manager
-
My Yahoo! View
-
Customize

Financial
News

Enter
symbol(s) BasicDayWatchPerformanceReal-time MktDetailedChartResearchOptionsOrder
Book
Symbol Lookup

Press Release

Source:
Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless Challenges Competitors: Will You Be Ready for Local Number Portability on November 24th?
Wednesday September 10, 2:59 pm ET

Nation's Largest Wireless Company Questions ALLTEL, AT&T Wireless, Cingular, Nextel and Sprint PCS About Enabling Barrier-Free Switching for Their Customers

BEDMINSTER, N.J., Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless, operator of
the nation's largest and most reliable wireless network, today questioned
whether other wireless companies will continue to fight the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) mandate for wireless local number portability
(WLNP) or if they will join Verizon Wireless in focusing on the task of
meeting the mandate by the November 24, 2003 deadline established by the
government. Scheduled to go into effect in many major U.S. markets beginning
this fall, WLNP will allow customers to switch wireless service providers
while keeping their existing mobile phone numbers.
Verizon Wireless has for several months been preparing for wireless local
number portability. The company has been diligently working to implement
system upgrades, new processes and procedures to ensure it will be ready on
November 24, including:

Upgrading the nation's largest wireless network;
Changing systems and introducing new porting systems;
Training and communicating with employees and external distribution

channels;

Conducting initial testing of porting systems;
Building a state of the art call center in Murfreesboro, TN.
(EDITORS: Full outline of Verizon Wireless' preparation for implementing
WLNP is available on the Web at: http://news.vzw.com )

"The lobbying and legal resources being used by our competitors to derail
or delay number portability should come to an immediate end, and that energy
should be re-directed to ensuring they are ready to let their customers change
service providers with their wireless numbers. This is especially true since
those same service providers are already passing their costs on to their
customers on regular monthly bills," said Mark Tuller, vice president and
general counsel of Verizon Wireless. "Americans should know: come November
24, you should be able to take your number with you. But if you are a
customer of ALLTEL, AT&T Wireless, Cingular, Nextel or Sprint, your service
provider is working hard against that freedom."
Last month, Verizon Wireless urged the FCC to establish firm guidelines
for wireless number portability implementation, and to reject the position
advanced by the "Wireless Carrier Group" (WCG), consisting of ALLTEL, AT&T
Wireless, Cingular, Nextel and Sprint PCS, that would, if allowed, create new
barriers to wireless customers who want to change service providers while
keeping their mobile numbers with them. This was after the WCG told the FCC
that their understanding of number portability will allow them to impose new
barriers to switching that do not exist today, effectively derailing number
portability. More recently, several carriers filed a lawsuit challenging the
FCC's authority to require WLNP.
In June, Verizon Wireless president and chief executive officer Denny
Strigl detailed the Verizon Wireless plan for implementing number portability:
no up-front costs to current customers; no special barriers to switching from
one service provider to another; fast service; and no hassle. Strigl said,
"We will not charge any 'special fees' for customers who want to take their
numbers with them. Our plan at Verizon Wireless is to treat porting customers
the same way we treat any customer today. No change from today."
Tuller noted that the company's position on number portability is a
natural extension of the Verizon Wireless customer-focused "Worry Free
Guarantee."
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless is the nation's leading provider of wireless
communications. The company has the largest nationwide wireless voice and
data network and 34.6 million customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ,
Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ - News) and
Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD - News News). Find more information on the Web at
www.verizonwireless.com .

Source:
Verizon Wireless
Email this story
-
Set
a News
Alert

Related
Quotes

VOD
VZ

19.42
35.64

+0.05
+0.49

News
News

View Detailed Quotes
Delayed 20 mins
Quote data provided by
Reuters

Related News Stories

·

FCC Begins Review of Local Telephone Network Pricing - Dow Jones Business News (3:28 pm)

·

Verizon Comments on FCC Proceeding to Review Price Rules For Leasing Phone Company Equipment - PR Newswire (2:43 pm)

·

[external] Vendors retreat, but Bells ring higher - at CBS MarketWatch (1:38 pm)

·

[external] FCC targets local-phone prices - at CBS MarketWatch (12:50 pm)

More...

Top Stories

·

Bin Laden Tape Rattles Stocks - Reuters (3:37 pm)

·

Job Axe Swings at Int'l Paper, 3Com, Levi - Reuters (3:13 pm)

·

Top Textron Execs Face Axe After Review - Reuters (3:09 pm)

·

Illinois Probes Samaritan Hedge Fund - Reuters (3:43 pm)

More...

·

Most-emailed
articles

·

Most-viewed
articles

Copyright © 2003 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Copyright Policy - Ad Feedback
Copyright
©
2003 PR
Newswire.
All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution
of
PRNewswire content is expressly prohibited without
the prior written
consent of PRNewswire. PRNewswire shall not be liable
for any errors or
delays in the content, or for any actions taken in
reliance thereon.