GTE Greets 21st Century With Ringing Results--Reports All Systems OK for Y2K
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IRVING, Texas - GTE celebrated the dawn of the new millennium with ringing telephones instead of fireworks and champagne. GTE's 500 on-duty employees nationwide worked through the night to ensure the company's telecommunications network and Internet services entered the 21st century with no disruptions. GTE's local telephone, wireless, cable and Internet networks have been running smoothly since the clock struck midnight.
An industry-leading approach to preparing for the Year 2000 rollover paid off as GTE entered the new millennium with no major disruptions in service. "GTE's $385 million investment, and the work of our 1,200-person staff, have made our entry into 2000 a smooth one," said Gerry Roth, vice president of Y2K for GTE. "We are pleased to say that our customers are not experiencing any Y2K-related outages in their telephone, paging, wireless or Internet service."
"The cooperation between telephone companies and vendors was critical to the success of our Y2K transition," said Roth. "What's more, the public responded to our calls to exercise prudence in picking up the phone at midnight, keeping network congestion to a minimum."
GTE took an aggressive approach to preparing for the Year 2000 rollover, and was the first telecommunications company in the country certified under the Information Technology Association of America's Year 2000 program as having met best practices.
In 1996, GTE published the "Criteria for Century Compliance," which became the industry's informal standard for determining Y2K readiness. As a charter member of the Telco Year 2000 Forum, GTE was an active participant in voluntary industry efforts related to Y2K. Other members of the Forum are Bell Atlantic, Ameritech, BellSouth, Cincinnati Bell, SBC Communications and US West.
Manufacturers and GTE experts tested the telephone network, including switching and transmission equipment, multiple times for the Year 2000. Several telecommunications industry groups, including the Telco Year 2000 Forum and the Alliance for Telecom Industry Solutions, also conducted thousands of tests. GTE is a member of both of those industry groups.
