Verizon brings connectivity to Houston area communities,

HOUSTON, July 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Verizon’s network was ready when Hurricane Beryl slammed into the Houston area earlier this week.

All of Verizon’s macro cell sites, which provide widespread coverage, have battery backup, and ninety percent of Verizon’s macro cell sites in the Houston market have generator backup, meaning that even though millions of people lost power, Verizon was able to quickly restore connectivity to nearly all of its customers.

“We know our customers are counting on us, which is why we are investing to prepare our network for the most extreme conditions,” said Sandra Loughridge, associate vice president of network engineering at Verizon. “Our team worked around the clock to harden our networks before the earthquake struck and to keep our customers connected to first responders.”

Since Hurricane Beryl made landfall, Verizon engineers have been working around the clock to assess the damage, restore power and fiber connections, and ensure backup systems like batteries and generators are operational and resupplied. Verizon’s response team has deployed seven mobile units to Houston, including five Satellite Trailer Emitting Equipment Remote (STEERs), one Satellite Picocell on a Trailer (SPOT) and one Satellite Trailer Universal Design (STUD).

Verizon Frontline

THE Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team They moved into the region ahead of the storm and, within hours of landfall, deployed throughout the Houston area to provide critical communications support to public safety agencies and emergency operations centers.

The team worked closely with 20 different federal, state and local emergency management teams operating in the region to deploy dozens of Verizon Frontline solutions including drones, smartphones, routers, mobile hotspots and portable satellite assets to support emergency response and recovery operations.

The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team provides on-demand emergency assistance during crisis situations to government agencies and emergency responders 24/7, at no cost to supported agencies.

Support the community

Verizon has installed portable cell sites, Wi-Fi hotspots, charging stations and other solutions at community centers across the city of Houston:

• Sunnyside Multi-Service Center
• Acres Homes Multi-Service Center
• BakerRipley Gulfton Sharpstown Campus
• BoulangerRipleyMaison Ripley
• Northeast Multi-Service Center

Verizon is also waiving domestic call/text/data usage fees for postpaid residential and small business customers in areas impacted by the Texas storm. This waiver will be in effect from Monday, July 8, 2024 through Wednesday, July 17, 2024. More details about this offer can be found here on verizon.com.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) powers the way its millions of customers live, work and play by meeting their demands for mobility, reliable network connectivity and security. Headquartered in New York, Verizon generated revenues of $134.0 billion in 2023 and serves countries around the world and nearly all of the Fortune 500. Verizon’s world-class team continues to innovate to meet the needs of today’s customers and equip them for the needs of tomorrow. For more information, visit verizon.com or find a retail outlet on verizon.com/stores.

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Media contact:
Lauren Peterson
[email protected]
214-662-3801

Eric Durie
[email protected]
516-382-8219