Verizon Avenue Offers High-Speed Internet Access Service To Apartment and Condominium Communities in Washington, D.C. Area

HERNDON, Va. -- Verizon Avenue, a subsidiary of Verizon Communications, now offers high-speed Internet service to more than 18,000 residential units in 45 apartment communities in the Washington, D.C. area.

The high-speed Internet service, called Verizon Avenue Voyager, is provided using digital subscriber line (DSL) technology located on site. Verizon Avenue launched high-speed Internet service to buildings in New York in April and is continuing to install the DSL equipment and network connections at properties in the Washington area and in major cities throughout the U.S.

"Verizon Avenue's approach provides residents with a no-hassle way to capitalize on the exciting capabilities of broadband, and it gives property owners another feature to attract and retain residents," said Bill Wallace, president of Verizon Avenue.

Through agreements with real estate investment trusts and independent property owners, Verizon Avenue's high-speed Internet service is provided over regular copper phone lines at each property. Verizon Avenue installs Internet-access DSL equipment on site to connect residents to the Internet. The placement of access equipment on the premises eliminates distance limitations, so high-speed Internet service can be delivered to every resident with a copper wire connection.

High-speed service enables subscribers to transfer data, graphics, audio and video files at speeds considerably faster than a traditional 56K dial-up modem. Since the Internet connection taps into unused frequencies on a telephone line, customers can use the same line to simultaneously make phone calls and access the Internet with one click.

The Verizon Avenue Voyager services are offered in packages that include high-speed access, e-mail and personal Web space.

• Starter Pak: $39.95 per month for maximum connection speeds up to 256 kilobits per second (Kbps) downstream and 128 Kbps upstream. Includes two e-mail addresses with the VZAvenue.net domain and Web-mail access, 10 Megabytes (MB) storage per mailbox and 5 MB personal Web space;
• Choice Pak: $49.95 per month for maximum connection speeds up to 768 Kbps download and 128 Kbps upload. Includes four e-mail addresses with the VZAvenue.net domain and Web-mail access, 10 MB storage per mailbox and 10 MB personal Web space;
• Double Pak: $59.95 per month for maximum connection speeds up to 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps) downstream and 128 Kbps upstream. Includes the ability for two users to logon simultaneously, eight e-mail addresses with the VZAvenue.net domain and Web-mail access, 10 MB storage per mailbox and 20 MB personal Web space (10 MB per logged-on user).
• Ultra Pak: $79.95 per month for maximum connection speeds up to 1.5 Mbps downstream and 256 Kbps upstream. Includes the ability for two users to logon simultaneously, two static IP (Internet protocol) addresses, eight e-mail addresses with the VZAvenue.net domain and Web-mail access, 10 MB storage per mailbox and 20 MB personal Web space (10 MB per logged-on user).

The most popular Verizon Avenue Voyager packages are Choice Pak and Double Pak. A $5 discount is available for the Choice Pak, Double Pak and Ultra Pak, when residents purchase Internet service bundled with Verizon telephone service. This discount does not apply to Starter Pak.

Once high-speed service is available in an apartment community or condominium complex, ordering and installation typically takes a few business days. Technical support is available seven days a week. Verizon Avenue also provides each building a branded Community Network page which is a gateway to the Internet while offering residents the ability to post messages for other residents and make service requests online. Residents can sign up through the property management or leasing office for Verizon Avenue's package of services, including high-speed Internet service and telephone services.

All the downstream and upstream speeds describing Verizon's DSL services are theoretical maximum connection speeds between the customer's computer and Verizon's DSL equipment. Actual connection speeds will vary from the maximum speeds and often will be lower. Throughput or download speeds refer to the speed at which data is transferred to a customer's computer from the Internet and are lower than connection speeds. Download speeds will differ based on numerous factors, including the condition of the phone line and inside wiring, network and Internet congestion, and the server and Web-site configurations of the Internet sites visited.

Kilobits per second (Kbps) and megabits per second (Mbps) are measures of how fast data is transmitted. The data rates for "downstream" and "upstream" refer to the maximum connection speeds between a customer's computer and Verizon's DSL equipment.

Verizon Avenue, an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Verizon Communications, Inc., is a leading provider of packaged data and voice communications services for the multi-dwelling unit (MDU) market. Verizon Avenue high-speed Internet access is now available in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, New York and Washington, D.C markets, with expansion planned to new cities and buildings. Phone services also are currently available in additional major markets including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, and Seattle.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with 128.5 million access line equivalents and 28.7 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. A Fortune 10 company with 256,000 employees and approximately $65 billion in annual revenues, Verizon's global presence extends to more than 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

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