Verizon Avenue Brings Advanced Technology to Military Housing

SEASIDE, Calif. - Military families moving into newly constructed homes on the Monterey Peninsula - formerly the Fort Ord military installation - are enjoying all of the comforts a new residence brings. The homes average 1,800 square feet and feature modern kitchens, nine-foot ceilings, two-car garages, at least three bedrooms and high-speed Internet access from Verizon Avenue, which is building a fixed wireless broadband network to deliver the service.

When the network is completed in March, Verizon Avenue, a subsidiary of Verizon Communications, will offer high-speed Internet access to each residence throughout the 2,300-home development, improving military service members' quality of life and providing an amenity not commonly found in military housing. In addition, Verizon Avenue is deploying Wi-Fi hot spots at six community centers and other common areas, including community playgrounds.

Verizon Avenue is deploying the network throughout the Monterey Peninsula under a contract with Clark Pinnacle Family Communities LLC, which is transforming the former military base housing into private housing for use by service members and their families. Clark Pinnacle is a joint venture between Clark Realty Capital of Bethesda, Md., and Pinnacle Realty Management Company of Seattle. The Verizon Avenue contract has a 15-year term and an estimated value of $8.8 million.

"This project highlights how fixed wireless broadband can be deployed to quickly and cost-effectively provide Internet access to communities where it is not feasible to extend traditional wireline networks," said William F. Wallace, chief executive officer, Verizon Avenue. "The deployment of this technology to communities that are rural, sparsely populated or geographically challenging to reach is an important step in delivering the power of the Internet across the United States and represents a substantial growth market for Verizon Avenue."

Fixed wireless broadband networks can be deployed quickly and are cost-effective since cables do not need to be buried. The technology also offers companies the ability to efficiently expand into new markets. The Monterey Peninsula project marks the first time Verizon Avenue has used fixed wireless broadband to expand into a market that it is outside the company's traditional service territory.

The new network uses technology, including a signaling format, from Alvarion, a leading provider of point-to-multipoint broadband wireless access equipment. Base towers, situated strategically throughout the community, transmit signals to roof-mounted antennae on individual homes. These antennae then connect via high-capacity cabling to a dedicated wall jack in each home to deliver the high-speed Internet access.

Military families will have a choice of two high-speed Internet access packages - Military Standard and Military Plus. Both packages include free installation and technical support, as well as 10 MB (megabytes) of storage and Web space. In addition, there are no equipment rental fees or contract requirements. Following are the package details:

• Military Standard - 768 Kbps (kilobits per second) downstream and 256 Kbps upstream for $34.95 per month, with four e-mail accounts

• Military Plus - 1.5 Mbps (megabits per second) downstream and 256 Kbps upstream for $49.95 per month, with six e-mail accounts.

The revitalization of military housing on the Monterey Peninsula is part of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative. Launched in 1996, the initiative is designed to attract private sector financing and expertise to improve both the military's housing stock and quality of life for military personnel and their families. The military housing inventory consists of nearly 200,000 units worldwide.

Verizon Avenue bundles local and long-distance with high-speed Internet access for residents of multifamily communities. Verizon Avenue offers service to high-rise properties and apartment and condominium communities in major metropolitan markets, including Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York, Tampa and Washington, D.C. In addition, Verizon Avenue is deploying fixed wireless broadband to sparsely populated or hard-to-serve areas such as rural communities, tribal reservations and military housing. For more information on Verizon Avenue, visit www.verizon.com/avenue

With more than $71 billion in annual revenues, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon has a diverse work force of more than 210,000 in four business units: Domestic Telecom serves customers based in 29 states with wireline telecommunications services, including broadband, nationwide long-distance and other services. Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 43.8 million voice and data customers across the United States. Information Services operates directory publishing businesses and provides electronic commerce services. International includes wireline and wireless operations and investments, primarily in the Americas and Europe. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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