The account in question had been inactive for several months and was a voice flip phone, rather than a smartphone packed with e-mail and other data.

Verizon Wireless leader and President Lowell McAdam apologized to leader-elect Barack Obama on Friday for the actions of an undisclosed number of company employees who accessed and viewed Obama's personal cell phone account.

McAdam said the account had been inactive for several months and that it was a voice flip phone, rather than a smartphone with e-mail and other data.

"All employees who have accessed the account -- whether authorized or not -- have been put on immediate leave, with pay," McAdam said in a statement. "As the circumstances of each individual employee's access to the account are determined, the company will take appropriate actions. Employees with legitimate earning needs for access will be returned to their positions, while employees who have accessed the account improperly and without legitimate earning justification will face appropriate disciplinary action."