Verizon Business to Deploy Next-Generation Optical Ultra Long-Haul Network in Europe

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. - Verizon Business will begin an aggressive rollout of its next-generation optical transport network in Europe next month. The first phase will include ultra long-haul (ULH) equipment deployed on the core backbone network routes between Verizon Business' main European network hubs in London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris and Brussels, providing the first 3,230 kilometers (2,007 miles) of ULH transport in the Verizon Business European network.

This next-generation technology, which will support speeds up to 40 gigabits per second (Gbps), will give Verizon Business customers in Europe an opportunity to use new high-bandwidth intensive services for years to come. The first phase of ULH deployment is scheduled to be completed during the first quarter of 2008.

"Deploying ultra long-haul technology on our core network in Europe will give our Verizon Business customers the opportunity to move to wavelength services as well as grow their use of Web-based applications and high-speed Ethernet solutions," said Joe Cook, Verizon Business vice president of global network engineering and planning.

"Because our large-business customers rely on our network 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, we've designed this European network with enough capacity to meet their needs in this new data-intensive world. Our ULH technology has enough capacity to meet that growth with the continued explosion of high-bandwidth applications such as video, wireless, high-speed Internet, Web services, multimedia content distribution, real-time imaging, storage networking and more," Cook said.

Among the ULH benefits, the network supports integrated optical transport and enables photonic switching of wavelengths for network restoration and shorter customer provisioning intervals. The ULH strategy also allows Verizon Business to extend the signal reach without regeneration equipment, reducing operational expenses as well as the number of active components in the network.

The use of ULH allows large business and government customer traffic on the ULH network to receive an improved level of resiliency, better network performance, reduced latency and high network availability.

Since it began the multi-year ULH project in 2004, Verizon Business has deployed more than 40,233 kilometers (25,000 miles) of ULH network in the United States. Verizon Business was the first major communications service provider to deploy an extensive ULH network in the United States.

About Verizon Business
Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a leading provider of advanced communications and information technology (IT) solutions to large business and government customers worldwide.  Combining unsurpassed global network reach with advanced communications, security and other professional service capabilities, Verizon Business delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  For more information, visit www.verizonbusiness.com.

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