Verizon Invests $1.8 Million to Better Serve Cambridge, Mass. Area Customers

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Verizon customers in the Cambridge area will soon have improved communications as the result of a $1.8 million dollar investment the company is making in its call-switching center here.

Verizon is installing additional digital equipment in its Cambridge center to provide additional capacity and reliability in the Verizon telecommunications network. This equipment will allow Verizon to meet rising demand for high-speed, high-capacity data services such as DS-1, DS-3 and SONET (synchronous optical network) connections for local business customers.

SONET rings also provide multiple routes for voice and high-speed data services and are self-healing, automatically rerouting telecommunications transmissions in the event of a service disruption.

During the past three years, Verizon has invested more than $2 billion in its network that serves Massachusetts.

"This project demonstrates Verizon's commitment to build and maintain an advanced telecommunications network throughout the Bay State," said Donna Cupelo, region president Verizon Massachusetts/Rhode Island. "We continue to invest in our state-of-the-art infrastructure to maintain service excellence, as well to provide a platform for high-speed access to the Internet, work-at-home capabilities and a host of other advanced services.

"Whether we're making significant network upgrades or offering new services and packages of local, long-distance and broadband services, Verizon is helping consumers and businesses make progress every day," said Cupelo.

Verizon Communications

A Fortune 10 company, 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 136.6 million access line equivalents and
33.3 million Verizon Wireless customers. Verizon is the third-largest long-distance carrier for U.S. consumers, with 13.2 million long-distance lines, and the company is also the largest directory publisher in the world, as measured by directory titles and circulation. With approximately $67 billion in annual revenues and 227,000 employees, Verizon's global presence extends to the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

####