GTE Internetworking is enhancing its network to use improved public interconnection infrastructure.

BURLINGTON, Mass. - GTE Internetworking is migrating its use of public interconnection points from existing FDDI-based interconnects to improved ATM-based interconnects at selected public interconnection ("peering") points. The MAE-East and MAE-West FDDI interconnection points have not been able to keep pace with the growing traffic demand.

In addition to increasing the numbers of domestic and international interconnection points, GTE Internetworking has made significant investments to enhance capacity to various ATM exchange facilities. As GTE has expanded its backbone to allow increased traffic exchange, the company wants to ensure that its use of the interconnection points has also expanded to meet the additional traffic load. The migration program, which started in July of this year, is designed to increase performance and was endorsed in a recent survey of GTE Internetworking's interconnection partners.

"We have supported this new technology to ensure better quality of service for all of our customers," says Robert Perfetti, Director of Network Engineering for GTE Internetworking. "As we migrate to ATM exchange service, we hope to reduce congestion both for our customers and for the public Internet by supporting high-speed connections and multiple geographically diverse interconnections with our partners."

About GTE Internetworking and GTE Corp.

GTE Internetworking, a unit of GTE Corporation (NYSE:GTE), offers customers, from consumers to Fortune 500 companies, a full spectrum of integrated Internet services using IP networking technologies. GTE Internetworking delivers complete network solutions including dial-up and dedicated Internet access, high-performance Web hosting, virtual private networks (VPNs), managed Internet security, network management, systems integration, and Web-based application development for integrating the Internet into business operations. GTE is one of the world's largest telecommunications companies and a leading provider of integrated voice, video and data services. Additional information about GTE Internetworking and GTE Corp. can be found on the Internet at http://www.gte.com.

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