Verizon Online Introduces High-Speed Internet Access In Los Gatos Area

LOS GATOS, Calif. - Verizon Online today announced the availability of its digital subscriber line (DSL) service in Los Gatos, offering consumers and businesses there high-speed Internet access from Verizon Online, Verizon's Internet service provider (ISP).

Customers with telephone numbers beginning with the following prefixes are now being offered the service: 335, 353, 354, 356, 358, 395, 399 and 402. Customers need to check for availability on their individual line before ordering, because some technical limitations may apply.

"The appetite for high-speed access to the Internet is growing rapidly as the possibilities of this new medium become apparent," said Ann Kroepel, Verizon's area manager of customer operations. "Verizon is pleased to be able to offer a new choice for broadband access to its Los Gatos customers in the form of digital subscriber lines."

DSL provides consumers and businesses with high-speed Internet access and remote office connectivity service that can carry information many times faster than a traditional 56 kilobits per second (Kbps) dial-up modem. With DSL, customers can use their phone and surf the Internet simultaneously over the same telephone line. Unlike cable modem service, DSL gives customers a dedicated path to Verizon's neighborhood switching center.

Four Internet DSL Packages Give Consumers Great Choice

Verizon Online offers four DSL packages for consumers, beginning with a $49.95 per month plan that provides maximum connection speeds of up to 768Kbps, the most popular Verizon Online package.

All Verizon Online DSL packages for consumers include 10 megabytes of Web storage, 10 megabytes of e-mail storage and four e-mail boxes. Charges for the service are placed conveniently on a customer's monthly telephone bill.

In addition to the $49.95 package, Verizon Online's other consumer packages are priced at $59.95, $69.95 and $79.95. Consumers interested in downloading large files such as MP3 music files and video clips may be interested in the $59.95 option, which offers up to 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps) maximum downstream connection speed. Telecommuters or customers interested in videoconferencing from home will want to consider the $69.95 option, which offers maximum connections speeds of 384Kbps upstream and downstream. Consumers interested in a home network or who play video games online will be interested in Verizon Online's high-end consumer package, at $79.95, which offers both faster downstream maximum connection speeds and faster upstream connections.

Savings of $250 or more are available for consumers ordering Verizon Online DSL under promotions that began July 1. The amount they can save depends on the option they choose. In addition to the savings, customers will receive a free Logitech Express Cam PC camera if they sign up online at www.verizon.net or purchase Verizon Online DSL with a bundle of telephone services from Verizon California. These promotions will end Aug. 31. Customers can call 1-877-483-5070 for details about the promotions, to determine if service is available on their line and to order service. They also can check availability by visiting www.verizon.net.

Verizon Online Caters to Business Customers

Verizon Online also offers a complete portfolio of DSL products and services to meet the wide range of broadband needs for small and medium business customers. These packages are available in five choices, ranging from 768Kbps/128Kbps maximum connection speeds to a symmetrical 768Kbps.

The business packages include the high-speed connection and a static Internet protocol (IP) address, which allows business customers to host their own servers for applications such as e-mail and Web sites. The business packages range from $69.95 to $169.95 and include six domain name mail boxes, domain name registration or transfer and DNS (Domain Name System).

Technical Definitions

DSL generally is available to homes and offices located within approximately three miles of a neighborhood switching center - or "central office" - provisioned for DSL service. Some technical limitations may block DSL from individual telephone lines, even when located within the three-mile radius.

All the downstream and upstream speeds describing Verizon Online's DSL services are theoretical maximum connection speeds between the customer's computer and Verizon's DSL equipment. Actual connection speeds will vary from the maximum speeds and often will be lower. Throughput or download speeds refer to the speed at which data is transferred to a customer's computer from the Internet and are lower than connection speeds. Download speeds will differ based on numerous factors, including the length of the customer's line (or distance) from telephone company facilities, condition of the phone line and inside wiring, network and Internet congestion, and the server and Web-site configurations of the Internet sites visited.

Kilobits per second (Kbps) and megabits per second (Mbps) are measures of how fast data is transmitted. The data rates for "downstream" and "upstream" refer to the maximum connection speeds between a customer's computer and Verizon's DSL equipment, not what they will experience when they connect to the Internet.

Verizon Online

Verizon Online is a full-service Internet service provider, offering a complete suite of dial-up, DSL and dedicated Internet access services for residential consumers and small and medium-size businesses. Dial-up and dedicated Internet access from Verizon Online are available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. DSL Internet access services are available in 28 states and the District. Verizon Online also offers businesses a robust portfolio of Web hosting and outsourced e-mail services across the country.

Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with 112 million access line equivalents and 27 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. A Fortune 10 company with approximately 260,000 employees and more than $65 billion in annual revenues, Verizon's global presence extends to 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.