Verizon Wireless 2013 Annual Report Download - page 3

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Dear Shareowner,
Thirty years ago, the first commercial cell phone call was made on a Motorola DynaTAC
phone that weighed almost two pounds and cost around $4,000. Today we’re very close to
having as many cell phones as there are people on earth. Almost 40 percent of the world’s
population is connected to the Internet.
An increasing number of mobile Internet connections are being
embedded in electronics, cars, buildings and energy systems to
create an Internet of Things, which together with cloud computing
is transforming the physical world into a giant, programmable
information system.
In three decades, the mobile broadband revolution has become
the most powerful innovation engine on earth, transforming
every industry and society it touches—and, frankly, we’re just
getting warmed up. Verizon sits at the convergence of all these
great, disruptive technologies and, thanks to the momentum we
generated during a successful 2013, we are in a better position
than ever to take advantage of the growth opportunities in this
dynamic business.
The big strategic milestone for us in 2013 was our agreement
to purchase the portion of Verizon Wireless owned by Vodafone,
which gives us 100 percent ownership of the crown jewel of the
global wireless industry. We also strengthened our portfolio of
enterprise strategic services with a reinvented cloud product
Chairman’s Letter
suite, the launch of a mobile health platform and acquisitions in the
fast-growing market of mobile video delivery.
Throughout it all, we kept our focus on consistent execution,
excellent customer service and the network quality that has
become a Verizon trademark. As a result, we delivered excellent
operating and financial results in 2013 and positioned our
company for continued leadership in 2014 and beyond.
DELIVERING STRONG OPERATIONAL
AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
As always, Verizon’s fundamental strength is rooted in our network
superiority and focus on customers.
In 2013, we extended the reach and capacity of our wireless,
fiber and global Internet Protocol (IP) networks. We substantially
finished the build-out of our 4G LTE wireless network, which
now reaches more than 500 markets and 97 percent of the U.S.
population. We continue to enhance the vital trade routes of
the digital economy by deploying 100 gigabit Ethernet speeds
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