Verizon Business Continues Global Leadership With Award-Winning Carrier Ethernet Services

Market Leadership’ Award and ’Best New Service’ Citation Add to Recent International Recognition

Verizon Business garnered two key awards at the recent Light Reading Ethernet Expo in New York, further illustrating its industry leadership in the global Ethernet marketplace.

As Verizon Business continues to expand its Ethernet capabilities in Europe, Asia Pacific, Canada and Latin America, these awards, combined with other recent recognition, highlight how the company is rapidly taking Ethernet to new heights around the world.

For the second consecutive year, Verizon Business took home the Heavy Reading Ethernet Provider of the Year Award for Market Leadership. The company also received the Light Reading Leading Lights Best New Service Award - Public Company for its Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS).

“These awards reflect Verizon Business’ customer-first commitment to excellence,” said Mike Marcellin, vice president of global product marketing for Verizon Business. “As businesses continue to adopt Ethernet as part of their IP transformation strategies, they can rely on Verizon Business to continue to innovate and deliver the end-to-end solutions and award-winning services to meet their networking needs.”

The Ethernet Provider of the Year Award - from Heavy Reading, a leading industry analyst firm - recognizes Verizon Business’ success in the marketplace, broad and expansive service portfolio, geographic coverage, and impressive revenue growth. The honor also recognizes Verizon Business’ leadership in industry forums such as the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF), which again presented Verizon Business with its Carrier Ethernet Service Provider of the Year - National Category award in June. Earlier this month, Verizon Business was the recipient of the MEF’s 2007 European Carrier Ethernet Service Provider of the Year Award for Service Innovation.

Stan Hubbard, senior analyst with Heavy Reading, said, “Verizon Business delivered the goods again in 2007 by demonstrating a strategic commitment to transform the data connectivity services landscape through Ethernet portfolio innovations that address on-demand enterprise needs. Light Reading and Heavy Reading have been particularly impressed by its national VPLS rollout, international expansion activities and plans, and widespread deployment of Ethernet access platforms that extend the benefits of high-performance Ethernet to more customer locations.”

Verizon Business remains the only U.S.-based Tier One provider to offer a national VPLS service to its customers. The service combines the simplicity of Ethernet, the reliability of synchronous optical network (SONET), and the flexibility of multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) to help organizations cost-effectively upgrade their existing corporate networks for converged voice, data and video applications

Verizon Business’ Ethernet portfolio includes:

* Ethernet Private Line (EPL) - Available throughout the United States and 21 European countries, with metro, national and international connections to and from the United States.

* Ethernet Virtual Private Line (EVPL) - Available throughout the United States, six Asia-Pacific countries and territories, and to and from 16 European countries.

* Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) - Available throughout the United States (with plans to expand coverage to Europe and Asia Pacific in 2008).

* Ethernet Access to Private IP- Available throughout the United States, in 21 European countries, 12 Asia-Pacific countries, four Latin American countries and Canada.

* Ethernet Access to Internet - Available throughout the United States and in 29 countries.

* E-LAN Services - Available in 100 metro markets in the United States.

Since its development in 1973, Ethernet has become one of the most widely used methods in the world for connecting computers, servers and other network devices. While Ethernet cabling is designed for connecting devices that are near one another into a local area network (LAN), the use of fiber optics and new technologies makes it possible to link Ethernet-standard devices in distant locations into wide area networks (WANs).