Verizon Partner Solutions Will Focus on Optical, Ethernet, and Packet Solutions for Wholesale Customers in 2007

Business Group Also Reviews 2006 Accomplishments and 2007 Strategy at Annual COMPTEL Show

February 27, 2007 - LAS VEGAS - Verizon Partner Solutions (VPS) - the Verizon organization that serves U.S.-based wholesale customers - rolled out a series of product promotions, reviewed 2006 accomplishments, and outlined its 2007 strategy Tuesday (Feb. 27) at the COMPTEL Plus Spring Convention and Expo here.

Having completed the integration of the national wholesale network assets of the former MCI companies, VPS can now provide a broad range of end-to-end national and international services for wholesale customers - which include other local service providers, inter-exchange carriers and wireless companies. VPS also recently became a member of COMPTEL, the industry association representing communications service providers and suppliers.

“With a team of skilled technicians and managers across the country as well as one of the most advanced, reliable networks in North America, we have the capability to meet our customers’ needs -- whether it’s a unique, custom-designed application in a particular city or whether it’s 24-by-7 connectivity across multiple locations throughout the United States,” said David Small, VPS president.

“A particular focus for us this year will be in the areas of Ethernet, optical and IP-based solutions for our customers,” Small added.

Small summed up the key accomplishments the VPS team made in product enhancements and improving service delivery during 2006:

* The national mean time to repair for Special Access DS-level services improved 12 percent overall.

* Under a new agreement with DIRECTV, VPS unveiled a “triple-play” offering for local service providers that purchase Wholesale Advantage services from Verizon. Three service providers signed agreements with DIRECTV in 2006, and active discussions are ongoing with at least four more companies.

* VPS introduced a new national service-level agreements plan for some Special Access services.

* VPS launched a technical trial for Bandwidth on Demand in New York City, cutting the provisioning time for some circuits from weeks to, in some cases, minutes.

Verizon also made strong progress last year in the Wholesale Advantage class of services, which replaced UNE-P services with those provided under negotiated commercial agreements:

* VPS has signed six commercial and 20 trial agreements with companies wholesaling Verizon DSL services, and sales momentum continued to accelerate from fourth quarter last year into 2007.

* Wholesale Advantage Voice Mail sales continued to grow, as a result of enhanced pricing. This superior service, with the stutter dial-tone message-waiting indicator, enables subscribing service providers to not only maintain, but also grow, their consumer and small-business market share while increasing their revenue per share. Twenty-eight new voice mail agreements were signed in 2006 and two so far in 2007; 112 service providers now have voice mail terms in their Wholesale Advantage agreements with Verizon.

* VPS added inside wire installation and repair service to Wholesale Advantage in 2006, and 16 service providers have signed up for such service.

Finally, during 2006, VPS rolled out a number of improvements to its SONET-based services and access services - ranging from streamlined ordering mechanisms to enhanced on-line tools for both customers and Verizon service representatives working with customers.

“These were just a few of the ways we said to our customers that we want to be the primary provider of all their telecommunications services,” Small said. “We’ll continue advancing the ball this year. Our overall strategy is our partnership with our customers. Our work really begins once the sale is completed. We’ll stand side by side with our customers and work with them to help with their ongoing success. Their success is our success.” He continued:

“Another critical item that helps us help our customers is the 2006 forbearance relief Verizon received from the Federal Communications Commission. Forbearance provides VPS relief from several common-carrier regulations on many packet switched services, such as Ethernet services, and non-TDM based optical networking, optical hubbing and optical transmission services. This has allowed us to be far more flexible in working with our customers to design solutions that better meet their needs within a contractual relationship - this was an outcome that’s good for our customers.”

In 2007, VPS is providing a number of product promotions that include pricing discounts that range from 10 percent to 40 percent. These include:

* Intellilight Broadband Transport (IBT) - a point-to-point optical service in speeds from OC3 to OC192. This promotion is for new orders of IBT services, as well as upgrades and extensions of an existing IBT service. For more information, visit: http://www22.verizon.com/wholesale/specialaccess3/.

* Dedicated SONET Ring (DSR) - an optical ring solution available in a variety of speeds and interfaces. Customers who order new, renew existing, or upgrade to DSR services on a 5-year term plan can receive a range of pricing discounts. For more information, visit: www22.verizon.com/wholesale/productguide/specialaccesspromo/.

* Verizon Business service promotions on Price Protected Internet Access and Domestic Private Line - offering discounts on new installs of on-Net services in select areas.

“We are also planning additional promotions that we will announce later in 2007, and we are now looking at launching our Bandwidth on Demand service.” Small said. “We have had success in using what’s known as optical control plane technology to make that service work, and we’re eager to show other customers how we can provide them with circuit-provisioning times that are just minutes, in many cases.”

In addition, Small said, other customer-service innovations that VPS is looking to expand include a new Web-based service that allows a wholesale customer to quickly obtain price quotes for certain services with a few mouse clicks. Called “e-bonding,” this capability was first rolled out to wholesale customers on the former MCI network. It allows a customer - at any time -- to fill out a form with often complex circuit requirements and then quickly receive a price quote so that the customer can quickly make buying decisions.

About Verizon Partner Solutions
Utilizing one of the most advanced and reliable telecom networks in the world, the VPS team sells networks and network capabilities to telecom service providers that include: long-distance providers, local-service providers, wireless carriers, cable companies, integrators, Internet service providers (ISPs) and international telecommunications carriers that are based in the United States.

About Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America’s most reliable wireless network, serving more than 59 million customers nationwide. Verizon’s Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which operates one of the most expansive wholly owned global IP networks, and Verizon Telecom, which is deploying the nation’s most advanced fiber-optic network to deliver the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services to customers. A Dow 30 company, Verizon has a diverse workforce of approximately 242,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $88 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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Verizon Communications Inc.

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