Verizon to Deploy Fiber Optics, Electronics, Bringing Additional Advanced Technology, Services To Sussex County Beach Area

OCEAN VIEW, Del. - Verizon Communications is investing $110,000 to expand and modernize its local telephone network in the Ocean View area of Sussex County. This represents one of the company's major fiber-optic projects in Sussex County during the first half of this year.

Verizon is installing fiber-optic cable and electronic equipment along Rte. 26, County Road 352 and Willow Oak Avenue near the community of Bear Trap Dunes, providing additional telephone lines and increased bandwidth and reliability for residence and business customers. The aerial and underground cables contain a total of 25 fiber miles, or the total distance if all of the fibers in the cable were placed end to end.

''Our mission is ensuring that Delaware's citizens have full access to the opportunities of the new economy,'' said Joshua W. Martin III, president of Verizon Delaware. ''Verizon is committed to building a telecommunications network that is second to none and to delivering the benefits of advanced technology to everyone.''

Fiber-optic systems use hair-thin glass strands and digital technology to deliver high quality telephone services as well as high-speed/high-capacity voice and data services.

Martin said Verizon has accelerated its investment in telecommunications infrastructure throughout the First State:

• Investment in the company's Delaware network since 1995 exceeds $450 million.

• Miles of fiber in the state increased by 9.3 percent from 88,827 miles in 1999 to more than 97,000 miles today.

• The company deployed 68 SONET (Synchronous Optical Network) rings in its Delaware network in 2000. SONET rings provide multiple choices of high-speed voice and data services and are self-healing, automatically rerouting telecommunications transmissions in the event of a service disruption.

• Verizon Online DSL service was launched in Delaware in January 2000. DSL is a high-speed connection to the Internet that enables users to surf the World Wide Web at speeds much faster than today's fastest analog modems. Today, more than 70,000 Delaware households are able to get Verizon Online DSL.

''Telecommunications-intensive information and service sectors have driven Delaware's economy in recent years and are predicted to increase in importance,'' Martin said. ''Verizon's investment in telecommunications infrastructure will enhance Delaware's ability to stimulate economic growth, attract new jobs and businesses and provide the opportunity to shape our state's future in the 21^st century.''

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 112 million access line equivalents and 27 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. A Fortune 10 company with approximately 260,000 employees and more than $65 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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