Verizon's CEO at CES: High-IQ Networks and Smart Collaborations Will Spread Technology Innovation on a Global Scale

LAS VEGAS – January 6, 2011 –

Verizon Chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg and Verizon COO Lowell McAdam were joined on Thursday (Jan. 6) by three of the communications and entertainment industry's top executives to kick off the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show.

Seidenberg invited Jeff Bewkes, chairman and CEO of Time Warner; Dr. Sanjay Jha, co-CEO of Motorola and CEO of Motorola Mobility; and Mike Cleron, principal engineer of Google, to participate in his CES opening keynote address, which focused on how high-IQ networks and innovative content and applications are combining to fuel "one of the most innovative eras in the history of technology."

The five executives engaged in lively discussions of their companies' current collaborations and the future of communications and entertainment technologies.  The broad range of topics included multi-screen and mobile video, HD and 3D content, 4G smartphones and converged devices, evolution of the Android platform, and open development.

(Note: The entire keynote address and a transcript of the speech will be available for viewing later in the day. Visit http://www22.verizon.com/onecms/LeadershipTeam/Speeches/Speeches.htm)

During the keynote address, Seidenberg noted that today's more than 2 billion Internet users and 5 billion wireless users form the biggest market for technology the world has ever known.  He said that collaborations between hardware and software, computing and communications, technology giants and thousands of entrepreneurs will be crucial to the industry's ability to deliver relevant, personalized communications and entertainment services to billions of individuals.

"People are using technology to erase the boundaries between home and work, here and there, virtual and real," Seidenberg said.  "They imagine access to everything at their fingertips and they want it now, no matter where they are or what screen they have at hand.  They are challenging us to deliver better products, faster networks, more simplicity and more creativity."

Ultra-fast intelligent networks, including Verizon's advanced 4G LTE, fiber-to-the-home and global IP networks, will spread innovation on a global scale and help lead the way to the future, according to Seidenberg.

"The more we infuse consumer electronics with the power and intelligence of high-speed networks, the faster we'll create new demand and accelerate the cycle of innovation and growth that drives the industry forward," he said.

The CES is being held through Sunday (Jan. 9) at the Las Vegas Hilton Center.  For more information about Verizon at the CES, visit http://newscenter.verizon.com/verizon-at-ces-2011.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 93 million customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 195,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of more than $107 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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Technology Predictions

2005 Took the World by Storm
2005 literally took the world by storm. The tragedies of the Asian Tsunami, the Hurricanes that blew through the US Gulf Coast and the earthquakes that swallowed parts of Pakistan have left an indelible mark on 2005. While mother nature cast a shadow on 2005, it was technology that delivered the impact that resulted in a huge outpouring of donations. The world was touched by the human element seen real-time in pictures and videos. Today's technology was able to deliver the graphical grittiness that portrayed the nightmares occurring half a world away.

Technology is usually thought of as impersonal, but something needs to be recognized; without technology the personal elements of the 2005 tragedies would not likely have been conveyed to the extent and timeliness they were. Reflecting on 2005 and looking forward to 2006, technology will undoubtedly continue play a significant role in the future both on a personal and impersonal level.

In 2005 Blogs gave birth to splogs, where senseless web scrapers generated massive amounts of senseless content. Spam reached a whole new level, right along side the ethical debate of content scraping. Copyrights have been stepped on and I foresee a new host of tools that will emerge to protect content.

SPAM and phishing scams were easier to recognize, but to their credit, spammers showed off their creativity, finding additional channels to inundate. From splogs to forum spam, 2005 tech users saw spam as one of life's continued annoyances. Looking into a crystal ball, I fear that social bookmarking will become the spam vehicle of 2006, weakening the value of a collective voice.

Sadly the blog saturation has resulted in web clutter. Due to increased competition and vast quantities of blogs on free hosted blog networks services, bloggers competing for audiences and web traffic will result in significant abandoned content, cluttering the web with useless ramblings. The ease of blogging that resulted in saturation will be its downfall. Credibility will again become important. Journalist, who have suffered from the blogosphere in 2005, will have a reprieve as credibility becomes an issue for bloggers. In 2006 web surfers are going to look for multiple sources to confirm facts, and rely on reliable respected sources, community content, and collaboration like Wikipedia is going to suffer and become less relevant in 2006. While Wikipedia scores well in search, it does not perform as well with accuracy. The Wikipedia community is haunted by spam and like DMOZ, it's success will be its downfall. The relevance of successful community wiki's will fade in 2006.

Cell phones have become personal homing devices, and it is near impossible to locate a cellular phone that is not capable of manipulating or taking photos, videos, graphics and text messages in addition to the traditional voice calls. It is likely the PDA will become extinct in 2006, as travelers move to a single multifunction device. In 2007 MP3 players will likely be a common feature of cell phones.

Wireless growth is still worth noting, as it has moved from hotspots, to hot zones, to hot cities. Philadelphia and San Francisco are leading the way as wireless cities in 2006.

What is in store for 2006? Privacy is a hot topic that is not going to disappear. Google and the US Government are battling a Big Brother image. Data mining has made the collection of data meaningful. Anti-Google sentiment is growing. Google has fallen from grace, while Google has made friends on Wall Street, it has disappointed surfers who have turned to Yahoo and MSN in growing numbers. 2006 will likely result heat up the search engine war with MSN and Yahoo scrambling for marketshare and Google walking a tightrope with privacy advocates on one end and monopoly theorists on the other end.

Google wants to make money, and like it or not data, is a commodity. Google will likely use the data from their various ventures to develop new technologies and personalize content. Conspiracy theorists believe that the Google's aggregate data will also be used to optimize the fees charged for pay-per-click, influence organic ranking, or worse yet, sold.

Google's growth will continue to motivate privacy advocates and those in the technology field behind the Attention Truste movement, to work together, to improve how personal information and subscription information is used online. I expect we will see a lot of energy and effort in this area.

Personalized content will be a buzz word for 2006. Whether it is users selecting Podcasts, iTunes, or purchasing Amazon recommendations the web is learning how to cater content based on user selections and choices. Web surfers see personalized content as regaining control of what they want to watch, see, or listen to. From Tivo to podcasting, users are taking back control. Yet when the web serves content that is based on past surfing habits, who is really in control?

In 2005, marketers were told in no uncertain terms, if they are not using syndication and RSS, they will not survive. Well, they have one more chance to get it right. In 2006, marketers must use RSS as an alternative communication channel. It will no longer be cutting edge, it will be a must to survive. Web surfers no longer expect to provide personal information (an email address) for marketing materials, they expect to have a choice about how they wish to receive the content.

Vendors selling through affiliate programs lost ground in 2005. Publishers found the easy money of pay-per-click advertising not fraught with the inherent problems of affiliate tracking and cookie-killers. The increase in click-fraud and content scraping on AdSense sites will even the playing field and make affiliate programs more attractive in 2006.

The world is getting smaller, and technological advancements has not only brought us tragedy, but also has opened doors and the global market is now a viable option for small businesses. I believe the globalization trend will continue in 2006.

Top 10 Winners Predicted for 2006:

Cyber Security
VOIP
Attention Data
RSS/Syndication
Copyprotection
Credibility
Privacy
Alternative Energy (reusable fuel, clean energy)
Content Filtering
VideoTunes (iTunes with Video)

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software company.

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Verizon Wireless Ranked In The Top 5 Best Places To Work In Information Technology By Computerworld

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – June 20, 2011 –

For the ninth year in a row, Verizon Wireless has been recognized as one of the top workplaces for information technology (IT) professionals. With its highest ranking to date, Verizon Wireless placed fifth on Computerworld’s "Best Places to Work in IT" list, which was announced today, and the company was once again the highest ranked wireless provider.

Computerworld’s annual ranking of the top work environments for technology professionals is based on a comprehensive questionnaire regarding company offerings in categories such as benefits, diversity, career development, training and retention as well as extensive surveys of IT workers.

"In every aspect of our business we strive to create innovative technology that enhances the customer experience," said Ajay Waghray, chief information officer of Verizon Wireless. "At Verizon Wireless, our IT employees have the opportunity to develop technology that transforms our industry and empowers our customers. We believe that this culture sets the foundation for successful careers, and is what truly makes Verizon Wireless a great place to work."

As part of the company’s efforts to focus on improving the customer experience, Verizon Wireless has IT processes in place that capture front-line feedback from customers at all touch points and turn that feedback into real, business-impacting changes.

"To be among the Best Places to Work in IT, it’s not enough to seek out and hire the most talented IT professionals, offer them competitive pay and provide great benefits," said Scot Finnie, editor in chief of Computerworld.  "Smart IT people realize that they need to get up to speed on their employer’s revenue opportunities. The organizations that made this year’s Best Places to Work list are creating a work environment that both trains and encourages IT personnel to pursue business-driven priorities."

At the beginning of 2011, Verizon Wireless reported a total work force of more than 85,000 employees nationwide. In addition to its industry leadership in network reliability and customer loyalty, Verizon Wireless is consistently ranked as one of the best places to work and a leader in IT. For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. For more information about the "Best Places to Work in IT" 2011 survey results, visit www.computerworld.com.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s fastest, most advanced 4G network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 104 million total wireless connections, including more than 88 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

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