Verizon Wholesale Unit Expands Availability of Service Level Agreements to Customers of Point-to-Point SONET Services

Verizon Partner Solutions’ wholesale customers who buy SONET-based point-to-point circuits will soon have a new service level agreement (SLA) plan under which they will receive automatic credits if service delivery does not meet tough targets.

The new SLA plan for SONET services will be available from Verizon Partner Solutions on a national basis starting Monday (May 21). SONET, which stands for Synchronous Optical Network, is a high-capacity circuit based on fiber-optic technology.

“Unlike some of our competitors, under this new plan, Verizon Partner Solutions will not require customers to request credits,” said Claire Beth Nogay, senior vice president - complex service delivery for Verizon Partner Solutions. “We have designed automated processes to proactively issue credits if we miss our targets.”

Matthew Duckworth, director-SONET marketing for Verizon Partner Solutions, added, “We believe this gives us a competitive edge in a very competitive market. Our high-value SONET-based services are extremely reliable, and we’re excited to show our confidence in our offerings through this new SLA.”

The popular point-to-point SONET-based services marketed by Verizon Partner Solutions are branded as Intellilight Broadband Transport (IBT) and Custom Connect.

Under the new SLA plan, if an IBT or Custom Connect circuit is not installed by the committed due date because of a Verizon-caused delay, a billing credit will automatically be applied to the customer’s bill. Depending on the type of circuit the customer has ordered, the credit could range from $1,000 to $3,000 per circuit.

Customers will also receive a credit for specified service interruptions. For example, customers of the IBT and Custom Connect services with the Fiber Path Diversity Service Options and Customer Connect CDL Link Diverse Route features will be covered by a one-hour service guarantee. If an outage is greater than one hour, the customer will receive a credit of 100 percent of the monthly recurring charge for the applicable service.

Customers of the Basic IBT service and Custom Connect CDL Link Single Route service will be covered by a four-hour guarantee. If the service is out for more than four hours, Verizon will refund all of the monthly recurring charge for the applicable service.

The new SLA for SONET-based services is in addition to a tough performance target that Verizon already has in place for its sophisticated ring-based SONET services -- marketed as Dedicated SONET Ring. A specified outage of more than one minute results in a credit of 100 percent of the monthly recurring rate for all of the rate elements of the affected service.

“Today we are providing our customers with Dedicated SONET Ring reliability of over 99.99 percent, which allows us to offer our ring-based SONET services with some of the toughest performance targets in the market,” Duckworth said.

There is no extra charge for the new point-to-point SONET SLA plan. Effective May 21, it will simply be included in existing and new contracts for IBT and Custom Connect entered into between Verizon Partner Solutions and customers.

Last year, Verizon Partner Solutions began rolling out new SLAs to customers of DS-1 and DS-3 special access circuits.

“In addition to having one of the most advanced, reliable networks on which our products are based, we’re continuing to look for unique ways to differentiate our products and services from those of our competition,” Nogay said. “Introducing these and other industry-leading SLAs tells our customers that our sole focus is customer service. When our customers win in their marketplaces, we win.”

For more information on the new SONET-based SLAs, visit: http://www22.verizon.com/wholesale/specialaccess4/.

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

Additional or different terms, conditions, and restrictions apply to all services described herein. You should not rely on any summary or other information of any service described herein, and instead should consult Verizon’s Tariffs or the applicable agreement between you and Verizon for all relevant terms relating to such service.

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 60.7 million customers nationwide. Verizon’s Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation’s most advanced fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon has a diverse workforce of more than 238,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $88 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.