Verizon to Begin Next Phase of Auburn, N.Y. Network Project

AUBURN, N.Y. - Verizon will launch the second phase of a $2 million underground,
network modernization project in the City of Auburn beginning next week.

The company, which began construction on the first phase last July, is upgrading
the underground conduit system for Verizon's fiber-optic and copper cables on
East and West Genesee Streets. When completed this summer, the conduit system
will be ready for installation of new fiber and cable and it will provide easier
access for repairs of existing cables.

''Verizon is committed to delivering and maintaining state-of-the-art
telecommunications services throughout Central New York,'' said Paul A. Crotty,
president of Verizon New York and Connecticut. ''We are working closely with
the City of Auburn to insure that our underground network is prepared for the
city's road reconstruction project scheduled to begin next year and that service
to our customers will be protected while that work is being completed.''

The conduit system is a network of tunnels, pipes and manholes that carry
Verizon's underground cables. The Verizon project will move the conduit system
out of the path of the planned road construction and put in place a system that
is ready for future network expansion.

The second phase of conduit work will take place along East Genesee Street
between North Fulton Street and North Hunter Avenue. The entire project will
include replacement of 43 manholes and more than three miles of underground
cable conduits. About 8,225 feet of conduit will be replaced along West Genesee
Street, between Williams Street and Arlington Avenue, and about 8,400 feet of
conduit will be replaced along East Genesee Street, between North Fulton Street
and North Hunter Street.

Crotty said Verizon has made major strides in upgrading its network in New York
and deploying advanced technology:

• Investment in Verizon's New York (formerly Bell Atlantic) network totals more
  than $10 billion over the last five years.

• Verizon has added about 100,000 miles of fiber to its New York network in the
  last 12 months and, as of Dec. 31, 2000, the total miles of fiber had reached
  1.1 million.

• Verizon's call-switching systems in New York are now 100 percent digital.

• Verizon has $24 billion invested in telecommunications equipment and facilities
  in the state.

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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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