GTE Launches Aggressive Expansion And Enhancements of Its Global Internet Services

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Backs each service with proactive global service level guarantees

Burlington, Mass. - GTE Internetworking, a division of GTE Corp., continues its aggressive initiative into the global Internet market by dramatically expanding its industry-leading product and service offerings overseas and guaranteeing new levels of performance and reliability. The international offerings cover all areas of GTE Internetworking's outsourced Internet services, including Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), managed Internet security, remote dial-up access to the Internet and Web hosting.

When compared with industry norms for guaranteed international service, GTE Internetworking offers the industry's most far-reaching, comprehensive service level agreements (SLAs) that address the most critical factors for successful use of the Internet for conducting business on a multinational level.

"Clearly the Internet is a key strategy of the multinational enterprise," said Ellen Carney, principal analyst, Network and Internet Strategies, Dataquest. "It represents some significant challenges in terms of consistent implementation of services across geographic regions, single point of service contact, support infrastructure, and contract and billing terms."

VPNs Lead the Way

One of the issues many multinational companies face when deploying VPNs globally is understanding and complying with the import and export restrictions each country imposes on encryption, which forms the security layer of the service. To simplify worldwide deployment of VPNs, GTE Internetworking has designed processes to address all of these restrictions. By taking the complexity out of this process, GTE allows its customers to focus on other critical business issues.

GTE Internetworking's fully outsourced and managed VPN offering, called VPN AdvantageSM, is now available in 39 countries. VPN Advantage includes a comprehensive implementation of the IPsec security standard with digital certificates, as well as strong encryption (triple DES) to provide secure connections across GTE's IP network backbone. VPN Advantage also offers the industry's most-rigorous, proactive SLAs for both dedicated and remote access VPN connections when performed via GTE Internetworking's Internet AdvantageSM dedicated connectivity and the DiaLinx remote access network.

Dedicated access SLAs are measured at the VPN gateway and include availability guarantees of as high as 99.9 percent covering the VPN device, connectivity on the GTE backbone, local loop, and the customer premises router - the most-comprehensive, farthest-reaching guarantee on the market. For remote access, GTE is using Inverse Network Technology Inc. to independently measure the performance of the GTE DiaLinx
service to deliver the following SLAs:

  • 97 percent busy-free dial
  • Minimum modem connection speeds of 26.4kbps

These SLAs represent the first comprehensive SLAs for global VPN service available in the market.

Managed Internet Security for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses

GTE Internetworking recognizes that small businesses have unique goals and policies for implementing Internet security. GTE has developed Security AdvantageSM International, a fully outsourced, cost-effective Internet security service for small- to medium- sized businesses, now available for the first time in more than 39 countries.

For less than USD $1.65 per hour outside the U.S., small- and medium-sized companies can take full advantage of communicating with customers, partners and suppliers over the Internet while GTE reduces their risk of attack from hackers trying to break into their networks to steal or destroy vital information.

GTE Security Advantage International costs up to 70 percent less than traditional outsourced Internet security services and features LiveSecuritySM software and hardware technology from WatchGuard Technologies, ensuring their customers network security is always up to date. Now small- to medium- sized companies around the world can take advantage of GTE's 24 x 7 proactive management and monitoring, security policy configuration and updates, and the Security Incident Rapid ResponseSM (SIRR) system, a set of established and proven procedures to respond effectively to an attack. In addition, GTE Security Advantage is ISP-independent, providing companies with consistent security implementations whether they use GTE Internet connectivity or an ISP of their choice.

Guaranteed Global Remote Access

Closely related to both VPN and Security is GTE Internetworking's remote Internet dial-up service, DiaLinx. International business travelers who rely on the Internet to remain in contact with their companies can now look to GTE's DiaLinx remote access service for reliable, guaranteed dial-up services around the globe. The service is backed by industry-leading remote-access service level guarantees offered standalone or in conjunction with the VPN service.

Beginning immediately, GTE is expanding its guaranteed DiaLinx service to include approximately 350 additional access points in more than 25 countries, primarily in Europe, the Pacific Rim and Australia. The DiaLinx service also is expanding its North American network to provide access from over 750 POPs throughout the United States and Canada.

Like the domestic DiaLinx service, the international DiaLinx service offers aggressive SLAs that include proactive credits - the first such credits offered in the remote-access market space both nationally and internationally.

The expanded DiaLinx service complements the current international offering based on GTE's alliance with iPass, a leading telecommunications provider offering extensive international coverage with approximately 1,500 local access points in 150 countries. The combination of the expanded DiaLinx International service, along with GTE's iPass alliance coverage, results in the most comprehensive global reach of any tier-1 Internet access provider.

Web Site Hosting

GTE Internetworking's Web site hosting division has expanded its data traffic load balancing services internationally to help its customers avoid deployment of congested, slow Web sites. By analyzing network metrics such as latency, packet loss, server loading and response times, a patented technology called Hopscotch seamlessly navigates data through the safest, fastest path around busy Web servers. Hopscotch can coordinate the routing of data between Web sites that have information residing on computers located in different geographic areas around the world.

Hopscotch is an ideal solution for companies that deliver software upgrades, patches and new software releases via the Internet. It was specifically designed to handle the highest-traffic Web sites and the most sophisticated Web applications available. Using Hopscotch, GTE Internetworking's International customers will be able to stay online 24 x 7 and deliver the best possible online experience to their customers.

Services Sold Through Partner Program

With these new and expanded services, GTE leverages its international business partner program, called Net.Alliance, outside the U.S., to offer Internet-based services to U.S.-based multinational companies and non-U.S. based companies with operations in key European, Pacific Rim and South American markets. Each Net.Alliance partner is a leading ISP in its respective geographic region.

GTE Internetworking's international business plan is to support multinational companies through its business partners by providing the highest-quality, innovative portfolio of IP-based global networking services and support. By positioning itself as the global partner of choice for ISPs and carriers, GTE Internetworking seeks to serve its customers' ever-changing needs on a global level.

About GTE Internetworking

GTE Internetworking, a unit of GTE Corporation (NYSE: GTE), offers customers, from consumers to Fortune 500 companies, a full spectrum of integrated Internet services using IP networking technologies. GTE Internetworking delivers complete network solutions, including dial-up and dedicated Internet access, high-performance Web hosting, virtual private networks (VPNs), managed Internet security, network management, systems integration, and Web-based application development for integrating the Internet into business operations.

GTE Internetworking draws upon its expertise in funded research and development of advanced technologies, including satellite networks, packet radio networks, multi-gigabit routers, network and information security, and speech recognition, and GTE's strong existing telecommunications services, including local and long distance, wireless, paging, video, and Internet.

GTE is one the world's largest telecommunications companies and a leading provider of integrated voice, video and data services. More information about GTE Internetworking and GTE Corp. can be found on the Internet at http://www.gte.com.

About GTE

With 1998 revenues of more than $25 billion, GTE is a leading telecommunications provider with one of the industry's broadest arrays of products and services. In the United States, GTE provides local service in 28 states and wireless service in 17 states, as well as nationwide long-distance, directory, and internetworking services ranging from dial-up Internet access for residential and small-business consumers to Web-based applications for Fortune 500 companies. Outside the United States, the company serves customers on five continents.

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