Verizon Online Helps Customers Share High-Speed Connections by Offering Rebates on Popular Routers

NEW YORK -- Verizon Online is helping families with its DSL (digital subscriber line) service share their high-speed Internet access connection between multiple computers by offering a $50 rebate towards a Linksys wired or wireless router to create a home network.

"Home networking lets two or more family members use their high-speed DSL service simultaneously because access is no longer limited to one computer or one location," said John Wimsatt, vice president-Marketing for Verizon Online. "When dad can download sport videos in the den while the kids do homework in their bedrooms, then customers are getting more out of their DSL connection."

Until March 15, Verizon Online is offering residential DSL customers a $50 rebate on either the Linksys EtherFast DSL Router or the Linksys Wireless Broadband Router. With the rebate, the cost of the wired router is $49.95 and the wireless router is $99.95. Verizon Online customers are not charged a monthly fee for networking their computers.

Exploding Demand for Routers

Verizon research estimates that the majority of its DSL customers have more than one computer at home. In-Stat/MDR's July 2002 survey of U.S. households nationwide without a home network revealed that nearly 16 percent of respondents planned to set up a wireless network within the year. In-Stat/MDR also expects about 21 million families, or 20 percent of U.S. households, to buy home networking equipment, such as routers in 2003.

With a home network, customers also can:

• share a printer, scanner and files;
• play games with another player in a different room;
• share music;
• conduct video monitoring of different areas of the home;
• control home systems such as the heating and air conditioning.

"Creating a DSL high-speed network at home also gives customers another layer of security with firewall protection that's designed to help protect users from hackers," Wimsatt said.

The Linksys router includes a network address translation (NAT) firewall and the wireless router has wireless encryption protocol (WEP) technology that can be adapted to keep information more secure.

The wired router connects multiple computers with an Ethernet cable that Verizon provides free to customers. The wireless router uses Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) technology to share one DSL connection among multiple computers in the home. Each computer connected to a wireless router must be fitted with a wireless network PC card or USB adapter, both are separately available from Verizon for $59.99 each.

PC World magazine awarded the Linksys wireless router its World Class Award for best networking product for the past two years and recognized it in 2002 as the best overall hardware product.

Customers can get more information about the router offer and DSL on Verizon Online's Web site at www.verizon.net.

Verizon is a leading high-speed Internet access provider with more than 1.8 million DSL lines in service in 23 states and the District of Columbia. Verizon Online is a full-service Internet service provider, offering a complete suite of dial-up, DSL and dedicated Internet access for residential consumers and businesses.

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 135.8 million access line equivalents and 32.5 million Verizon Wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. With more than $67 billion in annual revenues and 229,500 employees, Verizon's global presence extends to 33 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

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