Verizon Information Services Rolls Out First SuperPages Phonebooks Incorporating Print-to-Web :CueCat Access

DALLAS -- As the beginning of a national rollout, Verizon Information Services, the world's largest directory publisher, today announced that one

million SuperPages directories equipped with print-to-Web :CRQ technology from Digital:Convergence Corporation have been distributed in the Greater Dallas

area. The Greater Dallas directories are also the first to carry the new SuperPages brand reflecting Verizon's marrying of the print Yellow Pages with

SuperPages.com, the leading online directory and shopping resource.

"Unlike larger corporations, most small businesses have limited resources to market themselves or their Web sites," said Pat Marshall, group vice

president of marketing for Verizon Information Services. "Putting Digital:Convergence technology in our SuperPages creates a bridge from the printed

page to the Web for phone book users. It also enables local advertisers to easily promote and drive traffic to their sites by helping consumers find them

online."

The print-to-Web technology adopted by Verizon offers SuperPages advertisers the option to purchase a 'cue,' which resembles a bar code, to place within their

advertisement. The cues are read with a free hand-held :CueCatTM device using :CRQ software from Digital:Convergence, instantly linking consumers to the

advertisers related Web site information. Consumers can pick up a :CueCat, along with the :CRQ software, at any RadioShack store nationwide. Verizon

provides advertisers who purchase cues with free :CueCat devices and software.

"Our print-to-Web technology has become the benchmark in the industry, and this application clearly highlights its potential for expanding into new

markets," said Jovan Philyaw, CEO of Digital:Convergence. "Take, for example, a local restaurant owner, who can help new and existing patrons

find his Web site to get additional information, as well as promote his weekly or daily specials and online discounts."

According to the SuperPages.com 2nd Annual Small Business Internet Survey, recently conducted for Verizon by The Gallup Organization, 65 percent of small

businesses describe the Internet as important to the future of their business, and an increasing number are creating their own Web sites.

"The re-branded SuperPages directories are part of Verizon's ongoing strategy to link the paper and digital worlds, and provide as many options as

possible for connecting buyers and sellers. We want consumers to find the information they need, when and how they want to access it," said Marshall.

"And we're helping small businesses advertisers by offering a cost-effective way to implement an Internet strategy, including bundling the building of a Web

site, advertising in SuperPages and SuperPages.com, and now advertising with a cue."

Verizon is launching Digital: Convergence technology in an additional 49 Internet-enhanced directories over the next 24 months in Philadelphia, Providence,

Tampa, Nassau County in New York, and Orange County South in California.

About Verizon Information Services and SuperPages.com

Verizon Information Services is a world leading print and online directory publisher and a content provider for communications products and services. The largest

directory publisher in the world, Verizon has annual revenues of more than $4.1 billion and employs more than 11,000 people. The company provides sales,

publishing and other related services for nearly 2,300 directory titles in 48 states and the District of Columbia and 17 countries outside the U.S. This includes

more than 1,600 Verizon directory titles with a total circulation of approximately 110 million copies in the U.S. and 37 million copies internationally.

Verizon Information Services also produces and markets SuperPages.com, the Internet's preeminent online directory and shopping resource. SuperPages.com

has received up to 7.7 million visits and 3.4 million unique visitors per month, and is the exclusive Yellow Pages provider on Excite, Lycos, AOL Service,

AOL.com, Digital City, HotBot, and BigFoot.

Based in the Dallas area, Verizon Information Services is a unit of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), which was formed by the merger of Bell Atlantic

and GTE. Verizon is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

About Digital:Convergence Corporation

Digital:Convergence Corporation is a privately held Internet technology company headquartered in Dallas with offices in New York and London. Working in

conjunction with industry-leading partners such as Forbes magazine, Young & Rubicam Inc., Belo, and RadioShack Corporation, the company's

proprietary technology can link almost all media or products instantly and easily with the Internet, allowing users to obtain relevant information or conduct

e-commerce activities. The company's management team includes a roster of industry veterans from Time Warner, AT&T, GE, ING Barings and Disney.

The company's :CueCat optical reader is a 2001 recipient of a laureate medal of honor from the Computerworld Honors Program, recognizing the device as an

information technology innovation benefiting society. In March 2001, :CRQ technology was the recipient of the Software and Information Industry Association's

2001 Codie Award for "Best Reference Tool." Showcasing the industry's finest products and services, SIIA Codie Awards honor excellence in the

software and information industry.

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