March 13, 2002 -- Verizon has launched high-speed international private line and frame relay services over its managed global network and announced agreements to provide new international services to a number of large businesses and organizations. The customers include ILX Systems, Mellon Financial Corp., the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Nortel Networks* Inc. and Serono International S.A.

Under agreements signed with its customers, Verizon will provide high-capacity services: between New York and London for ILX Systems, the world's largest provider of market data systems to professional stockbrokers; between Boston and London for Mellon, a leading global financial services company; between Hilo, Hawaii and Mitaka, Japan, a suburb of Tokyo, for the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, a Japanese astronomical research organization; between Raleigh, N.C. and Ottawa, Canada for Nortel Networks, an industry leader in providing global networking solutions; and between suburban Boston and Canada for Serono, an international biotechnology company.

The Verizon global network is a high-bandwidth, fiber-optic backbone with international capabilities that provides built-in redundancy and connections to major cities around the globe. In addition to the backbone, Verizon also manages interconnections with other networks to provide end-to-end service to customers.

Verizon's new global private line and frame relay services enable customers to connect major locations with branch offices or remote facilities around the world. These services are well-suited for the transmission of data-intensive information, multi-media streaming, real-time data back-up and storage and business continuity services.

Private line service offers a direct point-to-point connection - specifically dedicated to a customer's use - between two or more sites. The service can carry any type of voice, video or data application. Frame relay is designed to transport bursts of data at high speeds and provides customers with on-demand bandwidth capabilities.

Verizon Enterprise Solutions Group is marketing global private line and global frame relay service as part of the business unit's long-distance offering to large multinational corporations and government customers in the 41 states where Verizon is now authorized to offer long-distance service. In the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions, those states include Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

Later this year, Verizon plans to broaden its portfolio of advanced global services by launching a variety of additional services, including managed network solutions, which will enable Verizon to remotely monitor a customer's data networks in multiple regions of the world. In addition, Verizon will extend its call center solutions business further in Europe and introduce it in other overseas markets.

-End-