Bell Atlantic Deploys Fiber Optics, Electronics, Bringing Additional Voice & Data Capacity to Boston

Bell Atlantic Deploys Fiber Optics, Electronics, Bringing Additional Voice & Data Capacity to Boston

Company Invests $3.8 Million to Expand, Upgrade Local Telephone Network

June 7, 2000

BOSTON -- Bell Atlantic is installing new fiber-optic cable in Boston and Cambridge as part of a $3.8 million project to modernize the local telephone network and provide additional capacity to businesses and homes.

The fiber-optic cable will add voice and data-carrying capacity in the circuits that interconnect Bell Atlantic's call switching offices in the following locations: Back Bay, Bowdoin Square, Cambridge, Charlestown, East Boston, Franklin Street, Harrison Avenue, Hyde Park, South Boston and Roxbury.

Half of the projects were completed in April and the remainder will be completed in July.

The new cable, containing 864 individual fiber optic strands, is the highest capacity available. It will provide additional capacity, reliability and survivability in the Bell Atlantic network. Fiber-optic systems use hair-thin glass strands and digital technology to deliver high quality telephone services along with high-capacity/high-speed voice and data services.

"This project reflects Bell Atlantic's commitment to continue expanding and enhancing a state-of-the-art telecommunications network throughout Massachusetts," said Robert Mudge, president of Bell Atlantic - Massachusetts. "We are accelerating our construction schedules to provide rural and urban customers with high-speed access to the Internet, work-at-ome capabilities, as well as a host of other innovative advanced services."

Mudge said Bell Atlantic has made major strides in deploying advanced technology in its network:

• Investment in the Massachusetts network totals $3.3 billion since 1995.

• Miles of fiber-optic cable in the commonwealth increased by 85 percent from 325,000 in 1995 to more than 600,000 in 1999.

• All 274 call-routing centers throughout the state use the latest digital technology systems.

• Bell Atlantic Infospeed^sm DSL was launched in Massachusetts in April 1999. Infospeed DSL is a high-speed connection to the Internet that enables users to connect to cyberspace at speeds up to 100 times faster than today's fastest analog modems.

"We are proud of our critical role in assuring that Massachusetts continues to have one of the nation's most advanced telecommunications networks," said Mudge. "This infrastructure will help our state, its businesses, schools, and consumers to succeed in the new Millennium."

Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of the new communications and information industry. With more than 44 million telephone access lines and more than 12 million wireless customers worldwide, Bell Atlantic companies are premier providers of advanced wireline voice and data services, market leaders in wireless services and the world's largest publishers of directory information. Bell Atlantic companies are also among the world's largest investors in high-growth global communications markets, with operations and investments in 23 countries.