Verizon Deploys Additional Fiber Optics, Electronics To Better Serve Customers in Rensselaer, Delmar

RENSSELAER, N.Y. -- Verizon customers in the City of Rensselaer and the Albany County community of Delmar will benefit from the company's $285,500 expansion and modernization of its local telecommunications network.

Verizon is installing about 1.4 miles of fiber-optic cable and electronic equipment to provide state-of-the-art communications systems for the new Amtrak station in Rensselaer. The fiber-optic systems also will provide network capacity for future growth in the neighborhood adjacent to the new rail station.

"Enhanced communications systems for the new Amtrak station and surrounding neighborhood in Rensselaer will play a positive role in the sustained development the county, city and business community strive to promote," said Rensselaer County Executive Kathleen M. Jimino. "The networking capabilities created by fiber-optic cable is very promising for the growth and convenience of private sector industries and residents alike."

Verizon also will begin work later this year on installation of new fiber-optic cable and electronic equipment in Delmar to serve the Enclave residential development on Elm Avenue. The project will expand the capacity of the network serving the development by adding about two miles of fiber-optic cable and electronic equipment.

"We continue to upgrade our infrastructure to provide customers across the Empire State with high-speed access to the Internet, work-at-home capabilities, as well as a host of other innovative advanced services," said Paul A. Crotty, president of Verizon New York.

"These projects highlight Verizon's continued commitment to improving and expanding its network in the Capital District," said Crotty. "Whether deploying new fiber-optic systems or offering popular calling features and new, innovative local and long-distance calling plans, Verizon is helping consumers and businesses make progress every day."

Work on the Amtrak project is expected to be completed before the new rail station opens later this year and will accommodate the hundreds of voice and data circuits to be used at the station. Initially, the new network systems will serve only the rail station, but will later be expanded to include nearby residential customers.

The Delmar project will provide network systems for more than 200 homes when the housing development is completed. Additional capacity also will be provided to accommodate another 200 homes in future developments in the area.

Crotty said Verizon has made major strides in deploying advanced technology in its New York network:

• Annual spending on Verizon's New York network topped $2 billion in 2001. The company's infrastructure investments since 1995 now total more than $10.2 billion.

• Miles of fiber-optic cable in New York increased to more than 1.4 million in 2001, up from about 715,000 in 1995.

• All 586 call-routing centers throughout the state use the latest digital technology systems.

• Verizon Online DSL was launched in New York in the summer of 1999. DSL is a high-speed connection to the Internet that enables users to connect to cyberspace at speeds significantly faster than today's fastest analog modems. Today, Verizon has more than 1.2 million DSL lines in service nationwide.

"Verizon is keeping its commitment to New York," Crotty said. "We are building and enhancing a public telecommunications network that is the finest in the world and is a vital part of the empire state's economic infrastructure."

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 133.8 million access line equivalents and approximately 29.6 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. With more than $67 billion in annual revenues and nearly 248,000 employees, 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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