Symbian OS used in NTT DoCoMo FOMAâ„¢ D902iS

Symbian announces 31st phone for Japanese market

June 9, 2006 – Symbian Ltd. announced that Symbian OS™, the market-leading open mobile operating system for advanced mobile phones, is used in the FOMA D902iS, which NTT DoCoMo launched today. The FOMA D902iS is manufactured by Symbian OS licensee Mitsubishi Electric Corporation.This increases the total number of Symbian OS-based mobile phones shipped in Japan to 31. Symbian OS brings higher quality mobile phones with better features quickly to consumers, expanding the 3G cell phone market even further.

* "Symbian", "Symbian OS" and other associated Symbian marks are all trademarks of Symbian Software Ltd.
* “FOMA� is a trademark or registered trademark of NTT DoCoMo, Inc. in Japan and other countries.
* All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.
About Symbian

Symbian is a software licensing company that develops and licenses Symbian OS, the market leading open operating system for advanced, data-enabled mobile phones, also known as smartphones.

Symbian licenses Symbian OS to the world’s leading handset manufacturers and has built close co-operative business relationships with leading companies across the mobile industry. At the end of Q1 2006 70.5 million Symbian OS phones had been shipped by licensees worldwide to over 250 major network operators.

Symbian has its headquarters in London, United Kingdom with offices in the United States, Europe (England and Sweden (UIQ Technology AB)), Israel and Asia (India, P.R. China, Korea, and Japan).

The following 31 Symbian OS-based mobile phones have shipped in Japan:

• NTT DoCoMo FOMA F702iD; FOMA Raku-Raku PHONE II; FOMA Raku-Raku PHONE; FOMA F902i; FOMA F700iS; FOMA F901iS; FOMA F700i; FOMA F901iC; FOMA F900iC; FOMA F900iT; FOMA F900i; FOMA F2102V; FOMA F2051; (manufactured by Fujitsu); FOMA D902iS; MUSIC PORTER X; FOMA D702i; Music Porter II; Raku-Raku PHONE Simple; FOMA D902i; FOMA D701i; FOMA D901iS; FOMA D901i (manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric); FOMA M1000 (manufactured by Motorola); FOMA SH 902iS; FOMA SH702iD; FOMA SH902i (manufactured by Sharp); FOMA NM850iG (manufactured by Nokia); FOMA SO702i; FOMA SO902i (manufactured by Sony Ericsson)
• Vodafone 702NKII (Nokia 6680); Vodafone 702NK (Nokia 6630) (manufactured by Nokia)

Source: Symbian Ltd.

Lucent Technologies' Agreement With ACE*COMM Enables Solution that Offers Parents Greater Control of Mobile Services for Kids

Lucent to integrate ACE*COMM's Parent Patrolâ„¢ with Lucent real-time rating and charging system, enabling parents to set spending, calling and text messaging limits for children

MURRAY HILL, NJ -- Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) today announced that it has signed an agreement with ACE*COMM Corporation (NASDAQ: ACEC) to integrate ACE*COMM technology into Lucent's mobile services offering, enabling global wireless carriers to now offer their customers unprecedented parental control of their mobile services.The integrated solution enables parents to control when kids can use their mobile phones, who they can call and how much money they can spend on fee-based voice, text or multimedia services. Offering a web-style screen, the application provides parents with the ability to establish parameters based on total usage, time of day, type of use and calling and called party. The solution consists of Lucent's SurePay® real-time rating and charging solution, which uses the dynamic rules-based management capabilities of Lucent Vortex™ policy management, and ACE*COMM'S patent-pending Parent Patrol™ software, which provides configurable child-profile management that interoperates with the SurePay solution's policy management function.

"Mobile phones are one of those things that both kids and parents appreciate. Kids like having the access to friends and some of the fun things they allow such as music downloads and text messaging, and parents appreciate the practical and safety factors of being able to get hold of a son or daughter quickly," said JJ Lhospital, product management vice president, Lucent Technologies Applications Solutions Business. This new capability we are offering with ACE*COMM will enable service providers to give parents a little more control over their kids use of the phone, from limiting the minutes used to limiting who they can call or receive calls from, further enhancing the overall safety value of the phone."

The Lucent SurePay solution implements parent's instructions, which they enter through the Parent Patrolâ„¢ web-interface, into the user profile. The SurePay platform tracks and controls subscriber usage based on parameters such as billable minutes.

"This agreement marks a very significant milestone for us," said ACE*COMM President John Bennett. "It fully validates our assertion that there is a pent up market demand for parental controls around the youth mobile marketplace, and underscores our leading role in the industry for this type of technology."

Lucent SurePay® Real-time Rating and Charging
The Lucent SurePay® Solution suite is a scalable, converged pre-paid/post-paid billing solution that provides support for a wide variety of voice, data, content charging and e-commerce services. The Lucent SurePay® Solution can simultaneously support prepaid and postpaid, voice and data charging to wireline, wireless and IMS networks in real-time. In addition, the rating engine supports multiple flexible rating options, so service providers can customize rates and promotional packages to meet market needs or those of post-paid plans. Customers enjoy the convenience and real-time monitoring benefits while service providers have the flexibility they need to differentiate their service. The Lucent SurePay® Solution suite is deployed in service provider networks with a base of more than 135 million subscribers including more than 47 million active SurePay subscribers.

Parent Patrolâ„¢
Parent Patrolâ„¢ enables parents to set limits on their kids' mobile phone usage -- how much time children can spend on the phone, when they can use it, who they can call and how much money they can spend on fee-based voice, text or multimedia services. It provides a solution for parents who would like to provide their children mobile phones but might be concerned about their use. It is more flexible and more effective than simply relying on basic prepaid or similar time-limiting schemes to try to restrict phone use. Such plans only limit how much time a child can spend on the phone, not when they can use it, or who they can call.

About Lucent Technologies
Lucent Technologies designs and delivers the systems, services and software that drive next-generation communications networks. Supported by Bell Labs research and development, Lucent uses its strengths in mobility, optical, software, data and voice networking technologies, as well as services, to create new revenue-generating opportunities for its customers, while enabling them to quickly deploy and better manage their networks. Lucent's customer base includes communications service providers, governments and enterprises worldwide. For more information on Lucent Technologies, which has headquarters in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, visit www.lucent.com.

About ACE*COMM
ACE*COMM is a global provider of network business intelligence and advanced operations support systems (OSS) solutions for telecom service providers and enterprises. ACE*COMM's solutions are applicable to a range of legacy through next-generation networks that include wired, wireless, voice, data, multimedia, and Internet communications networks. These solutions provide the analytical tools required for extracting knowledge from operating networks -- knowledge customers use for asset recovery and revenue assurance, cost reduction, improved operational efficiency, acceleration of time-to-market for new services, and more effective customer care.

For over 20 years, ACE*COMM technology has been effectively deployed for more than 300 customers, spanning over 4000 installations in 70 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.acecomm.com

Source: Lucent Technologies

Sony Ericsson introduces multitasking and achieves market-leading gaming performance with new Javaâ„¢ Platform 7 mobile phones

Stockholm, June 8, 2006 – Sony Ericsson today revealed the successful ingredients of its Java™ Platform 7, the market-leading and backwards compatible developer platform for creating compelling games and imaging applications for Sony Ericsson mobile phones.Sony Ericsson's Java™ Platform 7 (JP-7) supports a range of Java Specification Requests (JSRs), including Advanced Multimedia Supplements (JSR 234) for enhanced camera and image handling. It is now possible to control the camera exposure (i.e. the amount of light on the image sensor), the focus, zoom functionality and the camera's flash from a Java ME-based application as well as rotating the camera image. The ability to record video and very precisely control frame-by-frame location, allowing the end-user to ‘move around’ in the video, is also offered by JP-7 based phones. All these capabilities can now be controlled from a Java ME-based application, opening up possibilities for new creative imaging applications from the global third party developer community, benefiting the consumer.

Through new generation hardware with faster CPU, better optimized software supporting floating-point operations and improved critical graphics primitives for 2D and 3D graphics, Sony Ericsson has also managed to take a huge leap in performance and speed, significantly improving game-playing experience and leaving current competition far behind. Developer feedback claims the six new Sony Ericsson phones – the K610, K790, K800, W710, W850 and Z710 – based on JP-7 have the best gaming performance on the market, a position the company will likely keep throughout 2006 and 2007 with its products.

“With the latest Java Platform 7, Sony Ericsson impressively demonstrates that Java code can be as fast as native; close to 30 frames per second on QVGA even without hardware acceleration. This means we get the best 3D game experience we have ever seen on a mobile phone while simultaneously being able to address a huge Java market and satisfying established sales channels,� says Michael Schade, CEO of Fishlabs Entertainment GmbH.

Industry trends indicate that there is an increasing gap in Java ME performance between entry-level and high-end phones. The main contributors to Java ME fragmentation are the differences in supported application programming interfaces (APIs), building blocks (software platforms, CPU, Virtual Machine vendor, device hardware) and quality (bugs and performance issues). These issues have been addressed to a large extent through standardization and higher quality implementations.

Sony Ericsson’s Java ME performance has significantly improved not only for its high-end phones but also for entry-level phones in the past couple of years with the introduction of MIDP 2.0 and Mobile Java 3D support across the portfolio. In addition, Sony Ericsson's strategy to build backwards compatible Java platforms, aligned with the industry standards, has proven successful and received very positive feedback from the developer community.

“Sony Ericsson’s Java Platform approach is one of our contributions to reduce fragmentation in the industry. The fact that we focus on quality and performance, meaning being better rather than different, is a way for us to make sure we have a very attractive offering to developers,� says Hanz Häger, Java Product Manager at Sony Ericsson and representative on the Java Micro Edition (ME) Executive Committee.

Sony Ericsson puts great emphasis on Java implementation consistency and has been one of the most aggressive advocates of Mobile Java 3D with support for the two 3D API's Mobile 3D Graphics (JSR-184) and Mascot Capsule Micro3D Engine v3 on more than 35 phones to date. An independent developer benchmark survey conducted by UK research firm Recom Research in March this year also showed that the company’s global developer support program and web portal, Sony Ericsson Developer World, was considered to be the leading technical resource for Mobile Java 3D development.

Sony Ericsson has increased the quality of the Java performance on its phones by spending more engineering time on development, analyzing the source code of third party technology like Fishlabs’ ABYSS game engine, and testing of software implementations. The Java development team has also made bug fixes and performance upgrades in general for JSR-184 and the Mascot Capsule v3 API for JP-7 phones.

“As a leading 3D mobile games developer, we have chosen Sony Ericsson as our target platform. With over 35 Mobile Java 3D-enabled phones, Sony Ericsson by far has the broadest range of 3D enabled handsets on the market. Additionally, hard to believe but true, we only need one single binary of code to support all handsets. That saves a tremendous amount of time and money, not only on the developer side but operators also need to spend much less work on game verification later on,� says Michael Schade of Fishlabs.

Increased memory is now available in the phones (> 5MB heap possible), allowing more graphics heavy and higher quality games to be developed. Sony Ericsson also supports a new, optional control in the JSR-135 Mobile Media API with JP-7. With the so-called ‘TempoControl’, developers can control the tempo and rate of a MIDI file, typically used as in-game music and sound effects. With this fine grained control developers can create a richer game-playing experience for the user, e.g. by increasing the tempo of the music when danger approaches in a game level or similar.

With JP-7, Sony Ericsson is the first handset manufacturer to introduce support for multiple simultaneously running Java applications in a single virtual machine on mass-market mobile phones.

"In line with Sony Ericsson's strategic intent to make Java ME a viable alternative to an open operating system, we have introduced a MultiVM (multi-tasking virtual machine), making it possible to have several Java MIDlets running on the phone at the same time and switch between them,� says Hanz Häger. “This enables Java-based push e-mail solutions and many other high-value, mobile applications running at the same time as you are playing games, for example. Sony Ericsson’s new Java Platform 7 really takes the Java ME technology in mobile phones to new dimensions."

About Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson Developer World is a global support program and web portal totally dedicated to helping serious, wireless developers achieve business success by providing the documentation, tools, training, technical and go-to-market support they need in their development process. Sony Ericsson Developer World helps developers get on the fast track from mind to market, thereby ensuring that a constant stream of fun, useful and innovative content and applications is available for Sony Ericsson phones. www.SonyEricsson.com/developer

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications serves the global communications market with innovative and feature-rich mobile phones, accessories, and PC-cards. Established as a joint venture by Sony and Ericsson in 2001, with global corporate functions located in London, the company employs approximately 6,000 people worldwide, including R&D sites in Europe, Japan, China and America. Sony Ericsson is the global title sponsor of the Women's Tennis Association, and works with the Association to promote the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in over 80 cities during the year. For more information on Sony Ericsson, please visit www.SonyEricsson.com

Source: Sony Ericsson

Vodafone has launched the first UMTS broadband phone

Samsung SGH-ZV50

Düsseldorf, 12. June 2006. Vodafone has added a UMTS turbo phone to its range, which makes it the first network operator in Germany to introduce a broadband phone, the Samsung SGH-ZV50, following the official launch of UMTS broadband at this year's CeBIT. This small, powerful and multitalented silver phone is barely distinguishable from other UMTS models by its external appearance. It nevertheless sets new standards for multimedia services because of the faster transmission rates of up to 1.8 Mbit/s that are possible with UMTS broadband.

There's plenty of data power inside this 105 g clamshell phone. The 2 megapixel camera displays photos in needle-sharp focus on the generously-dimensioned 2 inch QVGA display with 262,144 colours. The Samsung SGH-ZV50 also has external keys for music player operation. It also has plenty of memory to store music files and games. The Samsung SGH-ZV50 has an internal 30 megabyte memory and the option to extend external memory with microSD cards. A 64 MB microSD comes with the phone.In combination with UMTS broadband, which is gradually being implemented in the existing Vodafone UMTS network in 1800 German towns and cities, there are no limits to high-speed downloads and Web surfing. The phone can also be connected up to a PC or notebook for photo fun on a larger scale. The mobile modem is ready and it guarantees easy Internet surfing.

Diverse telephony and office functions round off the features of the Samsung SGH-ZV50 and make it an attractive new generation UMTS mobile phone. The integrated voice memory makes it possible to use the phone as a dictating machine or voice recorder.

Data is transferred by the Samsung SGH-ZV50 either via USB cable or Bluetooth interface. The 900 mAh battery delivers up to 200 hours of stand-by and up to 2.5 hours of talktime in the UMTS network.
Friedrich Joussen, CEO of Vodafone Germany said, "2 years ago in May we were the first network operator to very successfully launch UMTS mobile phones in the market. Now, we are taking this success one step further and introducing the first UMTS broadband phone for private customers. The new Samsung data phone and UMTS broadband are a combination that deliver high speeds and unlimited mobile fun.

The silver clamshell phone with unostentatious design is now available for the price of EUR 229.50 in connection with the Vodafone UMTS Per-Minute Package Plus 200, which has a 24-month minimum term, involves a one-off connection fee of EUR 25 and offers users low-cost standard domestic call rates of EUR 0.30 or EUR 0.40. If the data tariff option WebConnect Fair Flat National is also booked, the phone only costs EUR 179.90. Without a contract you can buy it for EUR 799.50.

The WebConnect Fair Flat National is a Vodafone data tariff option that was specially designed for UMTS broadband customers. Mobile users can use the German Vodafone network without any restrictions on time or data volume for a flat rate of EUR 49.30, and it makes no difference whether they go online with UMTS Broadband, UMTS or GPRS. Not only is it ideal for mobile individuals who need access to the Internet or Intranet with their notebook and a PC card, but also for UMTS Broadband mobile phone users. Up to 5 GB a month of national data packages in the German Vodafone network are included in the flat rate. National data packages are only billed at EUR 0.58 per MB when the flat-rate allowance is exceeded in two successive billing periods. Services are billed at the end of each connection at least once every 24 hours, rounded to the nearest 100 KB. Use of UMTS Broadband is free of charge until 31.10.06.

Visit www.vodafone.de for more information about the Samsung SGH-ZV50.

Source: Vodafone Germany

Vodafone Italia launches Super UMTS Broadband

Surf the net four times faster from today

Milan, June 12, 2006 - Vodafone Italia is launching the Super UMTS Broadband service. From today Vodafone customers can surf the net at the speed of 1.8Mbit a second, which is four times faster than the present UMTS speed. The new Super UMTS Broadband service will take off today in Turin and Milan and by the end of the month coverage will equal that of UMTS.

Vodafone Italia customers can avail themselves of the new service immediately by inserting their SIM in a new connect card or a new mobile phone, without having to request activation of any kind.

Vodafone's new Internet box for mobile broadband navigation, which connects desktop computers as well as laptops to the Internet, is also available.

Super UMTS Broadband is based on HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology, which increases the speed of the current UMTS network.

Vodafone Italia was the first to introduce mobile broadband into Italy - the first transmission of data using HSDPA technology was effected in August of last year.

Source: Vodafone Italy

Vodafone Czech Republic Decreasing Roaming Prices

As of June 9, Vodafone Czech Republic decreases the price of roaming calls and text messages in 24 countries. The offering of the cheapest Vodafone roaming prices now applies to more than one half of all European countries.The number of countries in the first (cheapest) roaming zone has now reached 25. Besides Croatia, Italy, Germany, Poland, Austria, Greece and Slovakia, this zone newly also includes the UK, Spain, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Cyprus, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden.

With the exception of Latvia, Vodafone has a partner network in each of these countries, offering 15% cheaper outgoing roaming calls. 95% of all roaming calls of Czech customers are carried out in Europe.

Additionally, the six following countries have been moved from the third to the second zone: USA, Egypt, Israel, Tunisia, Morocco and Syria. They are thus extending a group of second-zone countries that covers Albania, Byelorussia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Moldavia, Monaco, Norway, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Switzerland, Turkey and the Ukraine.

Vodafone World makes roaming much easier and easy to understand:

* Only 3 price zones - the same prices for all networks within each of the zones.
* 15% cheaper outgoing roaming calls with Vodafone CZ’s partner networks.
* A single rate for all incoming and outgoing calls and text messages.
* A single rate for making calls to the Czech Republic.

Vodafone World pricelist

Zone 1
Outgoing calls with partner networks 21.25 CZK
Outgoing calls from other networks 25.00 CZK
Incoming calls 12.00 CZK
Sending an SMS 7.00 CZK

Zone 2
Outgoing calls with partner networks 25.50 CZK
Outgoing calls from other networks 30.00 CZK
Incoming calls 15.00 CZK
Sending an SMS 8.00 CZK

Zone 3
Outgoing calls with partner networks 51.00 CZK
Outgoing calls from other networks 60.00 CZK
Incoming calls 30.00 CZK
Sending an SMS 12.00 CZK

To learn more details of Vodafone World roaming prices, visit: http://www.vodafone.cz/consumer/services
/roaming/vodafone/postpaid/

Source: Vodafone Czech Republic

Vodafone and Isola del Cinema: the first edition of the "Vodafone Mobile Film Festival" takes off

Make a short film with your mobile and take part in the "Rome in 2 minutes" competition

Rome, June 5, 2006. The First Edition of the "Vodafone Mobile Film Festival", a competition featuring shorts filmed with mobile phones, is being launched with the aim of drawing attention to the new audiovisual means of communication. To take part in the competition entitled "Rome in 2 minutes" use your mobile phone to film a short set in Rome - not more than two minutes long - and send it via mobile phone from June 14 to July 23 to the number 346 46 46 446.

Your film will be given a code name and can be viewed on the site www.isoladelcinema.com

All the shorts must be unpublished. They will be examined by a jury of experts and, once it has been ascertained that the subject of the video is pertinent to the theme of the competition, the maker will receive an SMS confirming that the entry has been approved, an exclusive code assigned to the video and an web address where the entrants must register by filling in a form with their personal data and a nickname.

The jury will consist exclusively of experts from the movie and TV industries and will award marks for the most artistic and funniest videos.

As a member of the public, you can vote too: just link up to the www.isoladelcinema.com site, click on "Vodafone Mobile Film Festival", take a look at the shorts and vote for your favourite by sending its code via SMS to the number 340 43 99 006: the third prize will be awarded to the short that receives the most SMS.

The prizes, consisting of three latest-generation UMTS mobile phones, will be handed out on the evening of July 29, 2006 at the Isola del Cinema (Movie Island) site during a specially organised event.

Source: Vodafone Italy

Verizon Wireless Launches "Chaperone" Service

Location Information To Help Keep In Touch With Your Child From Your Verizon Wireless Mobile Phone And PC

06/12/2006 -- BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Sometimes even “Super Mom� needs some help keeping the family connected, especially when work and after-school commitments pull families in several different directions throughout the day. That’s why Verizon Wireless is continuing to lead the industry in offering innovative new services that improve Americans’ lives by launching ChaperoneSM – services that give parents new tools to help identify the whereabouts of their young children’s LG Migo phones, while also providing a means of communication by allowing children to place calls to important contacts with the simple touch of a button on their funky green LG Migo phones.Based on Global Positioning System (GPS) data, Chaperone is designed to supplement the parameters parents have already established with their children with two options, Chaperone Child Locator and Chaperone with Child ZoneSM. The availability of Chaperone with Child Zone marks the first time a wireless service allows parents to establish predetermined areas in which a child can travel with their Migo phone and automatically alert the parent about the location of the device when it enters or leaves the defined area. Features of these services include:

* Chaperone Child Locator – Once the child is equipped with a new or updated Migo phone and the service is activated on the account, parents can locate their child’s Migo phone from a PC via the Chaperone Web site (www.VerizonWireless.com/Chaperone). Optionally, parents can download the Chaperone application from the Get It Now® virtual store, at no charge, to conduct single location requests for the Migo phone directly from the parent’s Verizon Wireless phone. The Chaperone application for parents is available for use on a growing number of Get It Now-enabled phones.

Using this service, parents can:

o Perform single location requests of the Migo phone’s whereabouts and display the location of the Migo phone on a map via the Chaperone Web site or the parent’s Verizon Wireless phone
o Program the Migo phone’s automatic calling buttons over the air from the Chaperone Web site
o Customize Chaperone settings, including ‘English’ or ‘Spanish’ language, creating a unique name for the child’s Migo phone and enabling or disabling the emergency calling button
* Chaperone with Child Zone – Using the Chaperone Web site, a parent can construct an area called a Child Zone around the vicinity of locations that their child frequents (such as school, playgrounds or daycare centers). Different locations can be “zoned� for one time, always on, or for up to 24 hours. When the child arrives or leaves the predetermined area with their Migo phone, the parent is alerted via TXT Message on their Verizon Wireless phone.

LG Migo wireless phone

Additionally, the Migo phone allows a child to be in quick contact with their parents or other relatives by pressing one of four buttons to speed dial loved ones when the buttons are programmed by their parents, whether they are calling just to say “hello� or in the event a problem occurs. Designed for family communication, the Migo phone allows parents to program up to four important phone numbers, like their home, mobile or work numbers, emergency services, a babysitter or a grandparent, then children can speed dial these “helpers� with the simple touch of a button.

Safety and Security Come First

As a protection against deliberate misuse of the service, Verizon Wireless will sell Chaperone and Chaperone with Child Zone services, through its 2,100 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and Circuit City retail locations nationwide, through verified agents and through its telesales group. Chaperone is not available for purchase over the Internet. Importantly, Chaperone is only available to Verizon Wireless customers on a Family Share Plan® to help restrict unauthorized use of the service.

According to Lee Daniels, director of product development for Verizon Wireless, Chaperone is a service designed for busy families to keep their lines of communication open, while also helping parents give their children more freedom by giving them a tool to be in touch. “Chaperone provides a connection between parents and their children when they aren’t physically together, and it gives parents an added tool for keeping in contact with their children. If the unexpected happens, a child carrying a Chaperone-enabled Migo phone will be able to quickly get in touch with parents or another responsible adult – and even emergency personnel – who can help,� said Daniels. “It’s just one of the ways that Verizon Wireless is leveraging location-based technology to provide our customers with services that are relevant to their lives.�

Location Based Services (LBS) are enabled by the enhancements Verizon Wireless has made to its award-winning wireless network, allowing consumers to access new services utilizing new GPS data and navigational information which includes VZ NavigatorSM, a tool that provides consumers with access to mapping, audible turn-by-turn directions and the ability to find over 14 million points of interest, and now includes Chaperone. Using GPS and Verizon Wireless’ network, LBS services securely communicates valuable location information across the wireless network based on specific privacy settings that are established by the users and by the network.

In order to access Chaperone, a Verizon Wireless customer must subscribe to Chaperone and then activate the service through a secure, password protected Web site. Specific educational materials and terms of use are available to customers and were designed to assist parents and children use Chaperone in an informed and responsible manner. Chaperone is only available to Verizon Wireless customers on a Family Share Plan to help restrict unauthorized use of the service.

Chaperone Purchase and Pricing
To purchase Chaperone, parents first need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Family Share Plan and must have a Migo phone on that account. Parents can add the basic Chaperone Child Locator for $9.99 monthly access per line or add Chaperone Child Locator and Chaperone with Child Zone for $19.99 monthly access per line.

Devices
The Migo phone is specifically designed for the capabilities and tastes of young children (between five and nine years old). With its striking green handset, the Migo phone has four programmable call buttons and one pre-programmed emergency call button, making it easy for children to call responsible adults quickly. Parents can easily program the call buttons using the Chaperone Web site. The Migo phone is available from Verizon Wireless for $49.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.

Customers who previously purchased a Migo phone and would like to experience the benefits of Chaperone can stop into a Verizon Wireless Communications Store with their Migo phone and receive a free software upgrade which is required to activate the service.

Available Parent Devices
Parents who want to access location information about their children via their Verizon Wireless handset have a variety of devices to choose from, including the LBS-capable The V (LG VX9800) and Motorola V3c RAZR. Additional non-LBS-capable devices include: the LG VX4700, LG VX6100, LG VX7000, LG VX8100, LG VX5200, the Motorola E815, Samsung SCH-a970 and the Samsung SCH-a950. Information about these handsets is available on the Verizon Wireless Web site at www.VerizonWireless.com/Chaperone.

For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.VerizonWireless.com.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation’s most reliable wireless network, serving 53 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com

Source: Verizon Wireless

With Tropical Storm Alberto Threatening Florida, Residents Urged To Ready Emergency Communications Plans

Wireless Phones Can Play An Important Role Before, During And After Storms

06/12/2006 -- BOCA RATON, FL — With Tropical Storm Alberto approaching Florida, Verizon Wireless urges residents to make sure their emergency communications plans are in place and ready, if and when the storm makes landfall.The following tips are designed to help Florida residents prepare:

* Keep wireless phone batteries fully charged – in case local power is lost.
* Have additional charged batteries and car-charger adapters available for back-up power.
* Keep phones, batteries, chargers and other equipment in a dry, accessible location.
* Check your list of emergency phone numbers – police, fire, and rescue agencies; power companies; insurance providers; family, friends and co-workers; etc. Make sure it is current and program those numbers into your wireless device.
* Distribute your and your family’s wireless phone numbers to family members and friends.
* Forward your home phone calls to your wireless number if you will be away from your home or have to evacuate.

Verizon Wireless also urges the following actions once the storm is under way:

* Limit non-emergency calls to conserve battery power and free-up wireless networks for emergency agencies and operations. Calling is heaviest when evacuations are underway, as well as the day immediately before and following a hurricane.
* Send brief text messages rather than voice calls for the same reasons as above.
* Check weather and news reports available through many Internet-connected wireless phones, and through other wireless phone applications, including V CAST News, when power is out.

In addition, Verizon Wireless customers with select Get It Now®-enabled phones can access a wide array of applications* that will link them to critical information and help keep them connected to loved ones before, during and after the storm, including:

* Backup Assistant – Backup Assistant lets customers protect the data stored in their Verizon Wireless phones. It’s a wireless service that saves a copy of the phone's address book to a secure Web site. If the hurricane does come ashore and the phone is lost, stolen or damaged, Backup Assistant can restore the saved address book to a new phone - wirelessly.
* VZ NavigatorSM – This application provides all the features of an advanced navigation system on a customer’s mobile phone at a fraction of the price of other GPS devices and systems. In the event of an evacuation, hurricane evacuees can enable this feature on their mobile phones to aid them in moving to a safe location that may be unfamiliar.

Verizon Wireless has continued the comprehensive preparations and large investments that kept its network strong even through the destructive storms of past years, while other communication networks often were adversely impacted. Verizon Wireless preparation for the 2006 hurricane season included:

* The Verizon Wireless network is built for reliability in emergencies, with battery back-up power at all facilities, as well as permanent generators installed at all switching facilities and most cell site locations. This capability is critical when power goes out and if roads are impassable in the wake of a storm.
* The company has a fleet of Cells on Wheels (COWs) and Cells on Light Trucks (COLTs), which are self-powered transmitters that can be rolled into hard-hit locations or areas that need extra network capacity. Network teams also have hundreds of portable generators ready to go to further strengthen the network.
* Verizon Wireless is fully prepared to again quickly set up wireless emergency communication centers (WECCs) to serve residents and rescue agencies in the area(s) in the greatest need.
* The company has developed and practiced a comprehensive emergency response plan, including preparing emergency command centers in the case of a storm or crisis.

Since its inception, Verizon Wireless has invested $30 billion – $5 billion per year on average – to increase the coverage and capacity of its national network and to add new services. For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com.

(Editors: Video footage with helpful tips for consumers to prepare for hurricanes and other severe weather is available in the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

To accompany local test men and women in areas where hurricane preparedness is under way, contact Chuck Hamby at 813-615-4803 or Chuck.Hamby@VerizonWireless.com)

*Usage fees and airtime charges vary by application.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation’s most reliable wireless network, serving 53 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com

Source: Verizon Wireless

Wireless Phone Users in Evanston, Illinois, Now Experience Improved Reception, Fewer Dropped Calls

Verizon Wireless Installs New Cell Site Near Northwestern University

06/08/2006 -- SCHAUMBURG, IL — Verizon Wireless has installed a new cell site in Evanston that expands network coverage and increases capacity, enabling more customers to use their wireless phones concurrently to make calls, send and receive TXT and Picture Messaging, and download games and ring tones while enjoying clearer reception and fewer dropped calls.This new cell site improves Verizon Wireless’ voice and data network on the Northwestern University campus and in the surrounding area north to Emerson Street, south to Main Street, east to Lake Michigan and west to Asbury Avenue. Additionally, the cell site improves signal penetration into area buildings.

“This network enhancement reflects our ongoing commitment to meet the growing needs of our customers and to provide them with the reliable, high quality service they expect from Verizon Wireless,� said T.J. Fox, president–Illinois/Wisconsin Region, Verizon Wireless.

Reliable service is fundamental to customer loyalty, and Verizon Wireless boasts the highest customer loyalty in the industry. During the first quarter of 2006, only 1.18 percent of its customers disconnected their service, which is well below the industry average.

“The value we offer our customers is closely tied to our industry-leading customer retention,� Fox said. “Wireless consumers today understand that value is not defined by price alone. A major reason our customers choose Verizon Wireless and stay with us is because we offer the nation’s most reliable network.�

This new cell site in Evanston is part of Verizon Wireless’ continuous effort to expand coverage, increase capacity and enhance the quality of its wireless voice and data network in Illinois and across the country. Verizon Wireless has invested $30 billion in the last six years—$5 billion on average every year since the company was formed—to increase the coverage and capacity of its national network and to add new services. More than $151 million of this investment was spent in Illinois in 2005.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation’s most reliable wireless network, serving 53 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com

Source: Verizon Wireless