Verizon Plugs In New National Broadband Network

NEW YORK - Verizon has completed the deployment of the company's national broadband network and plans to offer advanced data and voice services to large business, government and education customers, starting later this month.

The new network, part of Verizon's Enterprise Advance growth initiative, features an Internet protocol (IP) backbone. It connects and extends Verizon's metropolitan and regional networks and leverages the company's direct connections to customer locations.

Verizon networks total approximately 9.7 million fiber miles in major metropolitan areas around the United States, more than any other carrier in the country.

"The completion of the broadband network transforms Verizon into a full-service, national provider of communications services to large public and private-sector enterprises," said Eduardo R. Menascé, president, Verizon Enterprise Solutions Group. "The IP backbone leverages the ubiquity of Verizon's local networks and extensive portfolio of metropolitan access technologies and enables the company to offer enterprise customers new advanced data services nationwide."

The IP backbone uses a technology called multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) to create a versatile network that enables customers to use their existing communications systems to take advantage of the most advanced services without having to purchase new equipment. In addition, the IP backbone supports convergence - the transport of a customer's voice, video and data applications over a common network infrastructure. Verizon also offers a breadth of local network access technologies including frame relay, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) and transparent local area network service (TLS).

Since announcing the Enterprise Advance growth initiative in November 2002, Verizon has completed construction on nine regional rings connecting the company's local networks and launched national services. The company has also invested to enhance customer service delivery systems for provisioning and billing to support customers on a national basis.

Verizon expects the new network and the services and applications it will support to substantially increase the company's revenues in the $100 billion-plus national market for enterprise services. In terms of current overall revenue, Verizon is the number three carrier supplying complex voice and data services to large public and private-sector enterprises.

Over the next 30 days, Verizon plans to launch national services, such as IP-virtual private network (IP-VPN) and national TLS. IP-VPN provides the foundation for enterprise voice over IP (VoIP) service scheduled for launch later this year. Quality of service (QoS), end-to-end management and service-level guarantees will be offered with these new services.

Verizon's new national backbone and associated metropolitan and regional networks include more than 200 links, known as routers, in 56 markets. The backbone's core consists of routers in 13 major cities: Atlanta; Boston; Chicago; Denver; Dallas-Fort Worth; Los Angeles; New York; Newark, N.J.; Philadelphia; Reston, Va.; Seattle; San Francisco; and Tampa, Fla.

"Verizon has deployed the new network infrastructure and equipment and is now in the final testing and trial phase of deployment, which has thus far achieved excellent results," said Stu Elby, vice president - network architecture, Verizon Network Services Group. "The network architecture deployed by Verizon will support high-bandwidth applications and deliver more cost-effective services to our customers."

Verizon Enterprise Solutions Group manages the design, operation and maintenance of end-to-end integrated network solutions for large business, government and education customers across the United States. With over 7,200 employees in 35 states, Verizon Enterprise Solutions Group offers a complete range of basic and advanced communications products and services to meet the voice, video, data and IP-related needs of its customers. In addition, over 5,200 field operations personnel support enterprise customers nationwide. In the enterprise market, Verizon Select Services Inc. provides Verizon long-distance service. For more information on products and services available through Verizon Enterprise Solutions Group, visit www.verizon.com/enterprisesolutions.

A Fortune 20 company, Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services, with approximately $68 billion in annual revenues. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world, as measured by directory titles and circulation. Verizon's international presence includes wireline and wireless communications operations and investments, primarily in the Americas and Europe. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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