Verizon Wireless boosts East, West Valley presence

One of the nation’s largest wireless companies is adding a dozen new cellular sites throughout the Valley in preparation for expected growth estimated to bring more than 100,000 new residents to Maricopa County.

Verizon Wireless, the cellular business unit of parent telecommunications carrier Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), added 12 cellular sites in the first quarter of 2008, most in the burgeoning East and West Valley area.

New cellular sites have been added to the following areas, boosting wireless voice, multimedia and Internet access:

East Valley
* Fountain Hills along the Beeline Highway north of Shea Boulevard and the surrounding area, including McDowell Mountain Park and Sunridge Canyon Golf Club;
* Gilbert near the intersection of Cooper Road and Buchanan Street and the surrounding area;
* North Mesa between east McKellips Road, east Brown Road, north Power Road and north Higley Road;
* North Scottsdale at the Scottsdale 101 shopping center; and
* North Scottsdale along north Cave Creek Road and the Mirabel Golf Club community.

Central Phoenix
* South Mountain along Baseline Road from 7th Avenue to 16th Street; and
* South Mountain along Baseline Road from 7th Street to 32nd Street.

West Valley
* Avondale near the intersection of 115th Avenue and State Route 85;
* Buckeye in the area of Miller Road and State Route 85;
* Litchfield Park near the intersection of Camelback and Dysart roads;
* Peoria near the intersection of 83rd Avenue and Hatfield Road and surrounding area, including the new residential and business areas; and
* Peoria along the Loop 101 between Cactus and Bell roads.

“Our network expansion in the Valley in the first quarter 2008 is just another example of how we invest our resources to stay ahead of demand and to make sure that our customers enjoy a superior wireless experience,” said Tony Heyman, regional president of Verizon Wireless. “This consistent investment is a key reason Verizon Wireless has ranked first in customer loyalty in the industry in each of the last 13 quarters.”

The additional sites add to Verizon Wireless’ increasing presence in the Valley since last year, which saw more than $135 million in Verizon infrastructure investment. Nationally, Verizon Wireless has seen steady growth, although in the fourth quarter of 2007, the company added 2 million new customers.

The company serves more than 65.7 million nationwide.

Ty He can be reached at ty@aztechnews.net.