Verizon will deploy its network solution to more than 9,000 Walgreens, Duane Reade locations
Verizon Business will deploy its Network as a Service (NaaS), an all-encompassing network solution, to more than 9,000 Walgreens and Duane Reade retail locations across the U.S. in what Verizon Business’ CEO Tami Erwin called in a statement the “largest, fully customized, NaaS solution on this scale.”
“Working closely with Walgreens to understand their focus areas,” she continued, “we’ve tailored an offering that will meet their technology needs of today, and quickly scale to offer a rolling deployment of 5G in Walgreens locations, next-gen in-store experiences for customers and employees, and future-proofed backend operations to enhance efficiencies.”
Verizon described its NaaS as an on-demand solution that takes multiple technologies and delivers a single solution to the customer to enable digital transformation. As a result of the partnership, the retail locations will have access to Verizon’s LTE, 5G and Verizon Media.
On Mornings with Maria, Erwin explained that the COVID-19 pandemic was a significant motivation behind the partnership, as both parties expect 5G to be a critical tool in improving access to healthcare.
“We’re super excited about this because this allows us to really lean into some of the new 5G applications and capabilities that we know we can unlock for clients like Walgreens, and I love that they’re leading in and making health care easier for all of us,” she said on the show.
“WBA’s digital transformation is focused on modernizing and digitizing our company to provide customers with seamless and personalized shopping experiences, whether in-store, online or in the palm of their hand,” said Mike Maresca, global CTO, Walgreens Boots Alliance. “We continue to enhance our business systems and processes both internally and with industry-leading partners to meet the changing needs of Walgreens customers and boost productivity across our workforce. Verizon’s 20 years of experience in this space will help transform our network in the US and also serve as a foundation for our future digital innovations.”
