Verizon Expands Switching Center To Better Serve Lewes Customers

LEWES, Del. -- Verizon Communications has invested $1.35 million to expand and modernize its Lewes telephone office that serves customers in the beach area of Sussex County. The building houses a digital switch, a state-of-the-art computer that routes calls to their destinations, and other advanced telecommunications equipment.

Verizon recently increased the size of its Lewes office to accommodate new switching equipment and to provide additional space for competitors that may want to connect their equipment to Verizon's network. In addition, the company installed new heating and air conditioning equipment. Verizon currently serves about 14,000 telephone lines from its Lewes switching center.

"Because of Verizon's investment in Delaware, the company's advanced broadband, fiber-optic network now serves every corner of the state from Rockland to Rehoboth," said Joshua W. Martin III, president of Verizon Delaware. "The ability to build, enhance and maintain complex networks is at the very heart of our business. We have played a key role in Delaware's economic development for more than a century, and we intend be a part of Delaware's telecommunications future in the 21^st century and beyond."

Martin said Verizon's commitment to improve Delaware's telecommunications infrastructure includes:

• Investment of more than $500 million in the company's Delaware network since 1995.

• Extensive fiber deployment in the state, which increased by 19 percent from 97,000 fiber miles at the end of 2000 to 115,770 fiber miles in December 2001.

• Deployment of 80 SONET (synchronous optical network) rings in Verizon's Delaware network in 2001, bringing the total to 355. SONET rings provide multiple routes for high-speed voice and data services and are self-healing, automatically rerouting telecommunications transmissions in the event of a service disruption.

"Verizon is the only telecommunications company committed to significant investment in Delaware's future," Martin said. "Delaware's network is open to residents and businesses as well as our competitors. We welcome competition in the local marketplace, and any company that sincerely wants to compete here can do so."

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 132.1 million access line equivalents and 29.4 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. A Fortune 10 company with more than $67 billion in annual revenues and approximately 247,000 employees, Verizon's global presence extends to more than 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

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