Verizon to Open New DSL Center in Durham, N.C.

DURHAM, N.C. -- Verizon will open a new center in Durham today to help fulfill the company's growing number of orders for DSL (digital subscriber line) high-speed Internet service. Some 180 local Verizon employees will staff the center at 5003 S. Miami Blvd. in Durham and will perform work previously done by contractors in other states.

"Verizon's top leadership chose Durham as the location for this nationwide center because they recognize how much this area has to offer," said Steve Toler, Verizon's director for public affairs in North Carolina. "Our DSL business continues to grow, and Verizon has a knowledgeable and highly motivated workforce in Durham that can provide top-quality service to our many new customers."

"Verizon and its employees have long been a mainstay in Durham's economic base, and they have helped stabilize our economy," said Ted Conner, vice president for Economic Development with the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce. "We're eager to help Verizon continue to succeed as it opens this center to support DSL customers across the country."

The new center, operated by Verizon Advanced Services, will handle a portion of the orders for DSL service that come from customers in 31 states and the District of Columbia. Verizon currently has more than 1.35 million DSL lines in service and increased its DSL business by more than 120 percent last year, making it one of the nation's leading DSL service providers.

DSL provides customers with a high-speed dedicated Internet connection to their homes over existing phone lines. Browsing 25 Web pages using DSL takes about 30 seconds, versus up to five minutes with a 56 kilobits-per-second modem over a dial-up connection. DSL also allows you to surf the Internet and talk on the phone simultaneously over the same telephone line.

Most of Verizon's customers order DSL over the Internet through the company's Web site www.verizon.com. Those online orders will be routed to the Durham Center for processing. Center personnel will handle a portion of the orders that come in.

Verizon expects to staff the center with current employees and will not be hiring external candidates. The director of the center will be Annie Hallinan, who is transferring to Durham from New York City.

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 133.8 million access line equivalents and approximately 29.6 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. With more than $67 billion in annual revenues and nearly 248,000 employees, Verizon's global presence extends to more than 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

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