Verizon Invests $295,000 To Better Serve Lackawanna County Customers in Pennsylvania

OLYPHANT, Pa. -- Verizon customers in northern Lackawanna County soon will benefit from a $295,000 upgrade and expansion of the company's Olyphant call-switching center that will increase reliability in the company's telecommunications network.

Verizon is installing new power systems and other electrical equipment at its Olyphant facility, which serves approximately 15,000 telephone lines. The new systems power fiber-optic equipment, which provides greater capacity and redundancy in the Verizon telecommunications network, and keeps the network running if there is a commercial power outage. The new power units also allow Verizon technicians to more efficiently monitor and diagnose network power problems.

The company expects to complete the Olyphant upgrade by the end of this year.

In addition, Verizon continues to install fiber-optic cable throughout the commonwealth. Fiber-optic systems use hair-thin glass fibers and digital technology to deliver high-quality telephone service along with sophisticated data communications services. Verizon Pennsylvania ranks fourth among the nation's local telephone companies in fiber-optic cable installed in its network, according to reports compiled by the Federal Communications Commission.

"The Olyphant project underscores Verizon's commitment to build and maintain a state-of-the-art telecommunications network throughout Pennsylvania," said Daniel J. Whelan, president of Verizon Pennsylvania. "We continue to upgrade our infrastructure to provide rural, suburban and urban customers with better quality service, as well as the platform for high-speed access to the Internet, work-at-home capabilities and a host of other innovative services."

Verizon has invested approximately $3 billion in its telecommunications network across the commonwealth over the last three years.

"We are building an advanced telecommunications network that will stimulate job and income growth and will make Pennsylvania one of the most attractive locations for corporations and individuals," Whelan said.

In addition to deploying the latest technology, Verizon offers Pennsylvanians a complete range of telecommunications services, including local, regional and long-distance calling, and data, high-speed Internet and wireless services.

"The level of telecom competition in Pennsylvania today is unprecedented," said Whelan. "Verizon's entry into the long-distance market one year ago is accelerating that competition. And consumers are the winners, because they are seeing real savings in their pockets, just as consumers in other states have benefited when full competition became a fact of life there."

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 135.0 million access line equivalents and 31.5 million Verizon Wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. With more than $67 billion in annual revenues and more than 236,000 employees, Verizon's global presence extends to more than 35 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

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