Verizon Deploys Fiber Optics, Electronics, Bringing Additional Voice and Data Capacity To Merrimack Valley Region of Massachusetts

LAWRENCE, Mass. -- Verizon Communications is investing nearly $1.9 million to expand and upgrade its

telecommunications network from Lawrence to Reading.

The investment includes placement of new electronics and the installation of approximately 6,500 miles of fiber-optic

and copper cable.

The project, scheduled to be completed next month, will provide additional capacity, reliability and survivability in the

Verizon network serving business and residential customers along the Route 28 corridor, from Lawrence through

Andover and North Reading to Reading.

"This investment along the high-growth stretch of Route 28 demonstrates Verizon's commitment to meet the

demand of the marketplace wherever that need arises," said Robert Mudge, president of Verizon

Massachusetts.

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.

Nationwide, Verizon invests more than $12 billion annually in its telecommunications network, which is one of the

most advanced in the world and features an industry-leading 8.3 million miles of fiber-optic systems.

In Massachusetts, Mudge said this commitment to advanced technology includes:

• Nearly $5 billion in network investment since 1995, including $800 million this year.

• 700,000 miles of fiber-optic cable, more than double the 325,000 miles in 1995.

• The latest digital technology systems in all 274 of Verizon's call-routing centers throughout the state.

• Availability of Verizon Online DSL (digital subscriber line) service to more than 1.2 million households and more

  than 2.5 million phone lines statewide. DSL, which was launched in Massachusetts nearly two years ago, is a

  high-speed connection to the Internet that enables users to connect to cyberspace at speeds much 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."

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 nearly 109

million access line equivalents and more than 27.5 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the world's largest

provider of print and online directory information. A Fortune 10 company with approximately 260,000 employees

and more than $63 billion in annual revenues, Verizon's global presence extends to 40 countries in the Americas,

Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

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