Synterra and Verizon Business Sign Agreement to Provide Customers Direct Network Connectivity to Russia and the World

Verizon Business’ Expansive Global Network Offers Advanced Network Capabilities for Multinational Customers

Basking Ridge, NJ and Moscow - Synterra, a national telecommunications service provider of the Russian Federation, and U.S.-based Verizon Business, a leader in delivering communications services around the world, have signed a master services agreement that will provide significant benefits to customers of both companies. The signing occurred in Moscow on Wednesday (July 8) during the week of the U.S.-Russian Presidential Summit.

The joint agreement will allow Synterra customers in Russia to expand their geographic presence by accessing the Verizon Business advanced global communications network, which spans six continents. Verizon Business also will be able to leverage the Synterra network and send customer traffic to major cities throughout Russia.

Independent telecommunications system operators in Russia will send their traffic to the Synterra data center in Moscow, where the traffic will be transferred to the Verizon Business global network. The network will provide Synterra customers with access to more than 150 counties, 2,700 cities and 200 data centers located around the world, as well as to Verizon Business’ voice, data, video and IP services.

Verizon Business also will use Synterra’s Moscow data center to deliver customer traffic directly to the Synterra network.

“Signing of this agreement between one of the biggest communications companies in the world, Verizon Business, and the Russian national communications service provider Synterra is an important step on the way to innovative cooperation between our countries and the realization of arrangements of the world summit concerning the development of the information society,” said Vitaly Slisen, general director of Synterra.

In 1996, a Verizon Business predecessor company began offering multinational customers communications services to Russia. One of the most recent offerings is the fast-growing Private IP service. The new agreement with Synterra will expand the reach and service offerings for Verizon Business enterprise customers throughout Russia.

“Verizon Business is focused on providing communications solutions for our enterprise, government and wholesale customers around the world,” said Blair Crump, Verizon Business group president of worldwide sales. “Our expansive global network infrastructure gives our Verizon Business customers a firm foundation on which to build their future success. With this new agreement, Synterra customers also will have the opportunity to use our advanced global network for their communications needs, while our Verizon Business customers can expand into additional Russian cities.”

During the signing ceremony in Moscow, Detlef Eppig, director of Verizon Business operations and technology for Central and Eastern Europe, said: “The Russian market is a growing region for international business. We have many multinational customers with company locations in Russia and look forward to offering them more network services, connections to more cities and diversity for their mission-critical communications needs. Our agreement with Synterra gives us the opportunity to strengthen our position in Russia.”

About Synterra Group
Synterra Group is a group of communication service providers, uniting such companies as Synterra, PeterStar, Global Teleport, Synterra Ural and a number of regional communication service providers that have been working at the telecommunication market since 1992. Synterra is a member of PromSvyazCapital Group.

The companies of the Group are licensed for providing local telephone services in 22 regions of the Russian Federation, long-distance and international telephone services, data communication services, telematic communication services and communication links all around the Russian Federation.

The infrastructure of Synterra Group is available in all regions of the Russian Federation. The main ground long-distance network covers 70 regions, stretching for about 74,000 kilometers. Over 40 access points of satellite communication main lines have been brought into use in 13 regions.

The companies of the Group provide communication services in more than 30,000 locations with the technical facilities for communication services existing in all population centers of the Russian Federation (including remote and hardly accessible locations with the help of VSAT technology).

The staff of the companies of the Group numbers about 2,000 people. The offices of the Group are located in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Murmansk, Kaliningrad, Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Volgodonsk, Rostov, Kazan, Samara, Pskov, Petrozavodsk, Velikiy Novgorod, Vyborg, Tomsk and Voronezh.

Additional information: www.synterra.ru

About Verizon Business
Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a global leader in communications and IT solutions. We combine professional expertise with the world’s most connected IP network to deliver award-winning communications, IT, information security and network solutions. We securely connect today’s extended enterprises of widespread and mobile customers, partners, suppliers and employees - enabling them to increase productivity and efficiency and help preserve the environment. Many of the world’s largest businesses and governments - including 96 percent of the Fortune 1000 and thousands of government agencies and educational institutions - rely on our professional and managed services and network technologies to accelerate their business. Find out more at www.verizonbusiness.com.