Verizon

Our values guide the actions we take on issues that affect our customers, employees and the company.. Verizon is an American wireless network operator that previously operated as a separate division of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon W of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon Wireless. In a 2019 reorganization, Verizon moved the wireless products and services into the divisions Verizon Consumer and Verizon Business, and stopped using the Verizon Wireless name. Verizon is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, with 146 million subscribers as of December 31, 2024.[4] It currently has the second-largest network in the United States with their LTE network covering 2.68M Sq. Miles of the United States.[5] The company is headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. It was founded in 2000 as a joint venture of American telecommunications firm Bell Atlantic, which would soon become Verizon Communications, and British multinational telecommunications company Vodafone.[6] Verizon Communications became the sole owner in 2014 after buying Vodafone's 45-percent stake in the company.[7] It operates national 5G and 4G LTE networks covering about 99 percent of the U.S. population,[8] which in the first half of 2024 won top honors in five out of eight categories of the RootMetrics RootScore Reports, along with the most awards in both state and metro testing. Notably, Verizon won the United States Overall and Data RootScore Awards outright, along with outright wins for accessibility and video performance.[9] Verizon Wireless offers mobile phone services through a variety of devices.[10] Its LTE in Rural America Program, with 21 rural wireless carriers participating, covers 2.7 million potential users in 169 rural counties.[11] Verizon Wireless announced in 2015 that it was developing a 5G, or fifth-generation, network.[12] In 2020, 230 million people were able to access Verizon's 5G, or fifth-generation, dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) technology network;[13] by 2024, 250 million people were covered by Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband network.[14] In September 1999, American phone company Bell Atlantic and British-based Vodafone Airtouch PLC proposed they would create a new wireless phone service joint venture valued at $70 billion.[15] The joint venture was being created as Bell Atlantic underwent a merger with GTE Corporation. In April 2000, the companies announced that the Bell Atlantic–GTE merger would take the name Verizon and that the Bell Atlantic–Vodafone wireless unit would be called Verizon Wireless (legally Cellco Partnership d.b.a. Verizon Wireless).[16] Verizon Communications owned 55 percent of Verizon Wireless while Vodafone retained 45 percent ownership.[6] Regulators with the Federal Communications Commission approved the Bell Atlantic–GTE merger on June 16, 2000,[17] creating the largest wireless company in the United States.[18] Verizon Wireless held this market position until Cingular Wireless acquired AT&T Wireless Services in 2004.[19] Throughout the 2000s, Verizon acquired several wireless phone companies and assets across the country, including West Virginia Wireless in 2006;[20] Ramcell in 2007;[21] Rural Cellular Corporation[22] and SureWest Communications, both in 2008.[23] Also in 2008, Verizon struck a deal to buy Alltel for $5.9 billion in equity while assuming $22.2 billion worth of debt.[24][25] The deal was finalized on January 9, 2009, again making Verizon Wireless the country's largest cellphone network.[24] As per the agreement, Verizon sold rural wireless properties across 18 states to AT&T. Those properties were in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming.[26] Verizon's acquisitions continued in the 2010s, including the purchases of some Plateau Wireless markets in 2012[27] and Golden State Cellular's operator in 2014.[28] Majority owner Verizon Communications became sole owner of its wireless business in 2014, when it bought Vodafone's 45 percent stake.[29] Vodafone received $58.9 billion cash, $60.2 billion in stock and $11 billion in other consideration.[7][30] An article in The New York Times estimated Verizon Wireless' valuation at about $290 billion.[7] In late 2014, it became known that Verizon Wireless uses deep packet inspection for server-side insertion of a customer-unique ID field ("X-UIDH") into all unencrypted HTTP headers. The mechanism has been referred to as a "supercookie" or "perma-cookie", although it is technically not a cookie in that it does not store information on the customers device and is transparent to the user. It cannot be averted with common mechanisms like ad-blockers; however it cannot be inserted into encrypted HTTPS and VPN connections. Verizon advertises the system to marketing partners. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has called on Verizon to terminate the program, calling it a "profound violation of trust", expressing concern over abuse by third parties, and questioning the legality of Verizon modifying their users' outgoing data without offering them the possibility of a full opt-out.[31][32][33][34][35] In January 2015, Verizon announced they would give customers the option of opting out, and since April 1, 2015, Verizon has allowed customers to opt-out, either online or by calling a special phone number.[36] In August 2016, Verizon hired Ronan Dunne, the former head of British provider O2, as the new president of its wireless business.[37] In September 2016, Comcast confirmed that it planned to launch a mobile service, using Verizon's network as an MVNO, in mid-2017. ...view more