CHARLESTON, W.Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
By combining the more than 6,300 miles of fiber infrastructure of the
former Frontier and newly purchased Verizon telecommunications
properties, Frontier Communications (NYSE: FTR) has created a robust
fiber optic middle-mile infrastructure to bring high bandwidth or high
speed/broadband services to the state of West Virginia. In addition,
Frontier has more than 100 major fiber network upgrades planned over the
next 12 months, which will significantly expand Frontier’s capability in
West Virginia.
Frontier will leverage this fiber network by building a new
Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) network in southern
West Virginia to provide increased bandwidth up to 10 gigabits and
redundancy in 12 markets throughout the state. ROADM technology offers a
more flexible infrastructure, enables service to be deployed more
rapidly, eliminates overlay technologies and provides a single platform
to deliver multiple services and further reliability.
It utilizes a state-of-the-art optical multiplexer to remotely switch
telecommunications traffic and provides much greater flexibility to make
changes without affecting customer high speed broadband traffic already
on the network. This network will be the foundation for a new Switched
Ethernet network that will provide 10 Gigabit capacity for business
customers and cell sites, and greatly enhance service reliability for
all customers.
Data Network Enhancements:
Frontier is already increasing the Internet Protocol (IP) infrastructure
in West Virginia. Its aggressive six-month plan includes upgrading four
(4) state aggregation Points of Presence (POPs) by installing
state-of-the art routers in Bluefield, Charleston, Clarksburg and
Martinsburg. Each location will have Gigabit Ethernet connections to
Frontier’s 20 Gigabit National Data Backbone POPs in Ashburn, Virginia;
Atlanta, Georgia and Chicago, Illinois. The network’s scalable and
flexible architecture will allow Frontier to exceed the demands of
future IP traffic such as Web 2.0, Voice, Video, and other applications.
“These infrastructure investments will dramatically improve the Internet
experience for our West Virginia customers and offer superior redundancy
and scalability for future products and services,” said Ken Arndt,
president of Frontier’s Southeast Region. “When complete, West Virginia
will be a model for next-generation intra-state network design,
providing robust IPV4, IPV6 and MPLS VPN services.“
Some of the new products and benefits enabled by this technology include:
1. Frontier Dedicated Internet service for both IPv4 and IPv6
protocols. IPv4 allows connectivity to legacy network devices while
the new IPv6 “future proofs” Frontier’s network to accommodate new
equipment and additional customers;
2. Increased redundancy and scalability for Frontier High-Speed
Internet customers; and
3. Frontier’s Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Layer 3
Virtual Private Network (VPN) product, which combines enhanced Border
Gateway Protocol (BGP) signaling, MPLS traffic isolation and
router support for Virtual Routing/Forwarding (VRF) to create an IP-based
VPN. Compared to other types of VPN, MPLS L3VPN is more cost
efficient and can provide more robust services to customers. This
product gives network operators more flexibility to divert and route
data traffic as needed to keep the network operating and
telecommunications traffic flowing in an appropriate fashion.
Frontier also plans to release its IP/VPN product. IP/VPN will be
Frontier's nationwide carrier class private Ethernet network and will
provide access to customers on the West Virginia statewide network to
any access point in the national Frontier network.
“These products and initiatives are part of our three-year plan to
strengthen the infrastructure and the customers’ reach to new
technologies in West Virginia. It will provide a strong base for
economic development and move the state closer to the top of national
ranking for broadband connectivity,” Arndt said.
About Frontier Communications
Frontier Communications Corporation (NYSE: FTR) offers broadband, video
and phone services to more than 4 million residential and business
customers in 27 states and has approximately 14,800 employees. It is a
member of the S&P 500 Index. More information is available at www.frontier.com
and www.frontier.com/ir.
Forward-Looking Language
This presentation contains forward-looking statements that are made
pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of The Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are made on the basis of
management’s views and assumptions regarding future events and business
performance. Words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect” and similar
expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements (including oral representations) involve
risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ
materially from any future results, performance or achievements
expressed or implied by such statements. These risks and uncertainties
are based on a number of factors, including but not limited to: our
ability to successfully integrate the Verizon operations into Frontier’s
existing operations; the effects of increased expenses due to activities
related to the integration of the Verizon operations; the risk that the
growth opportunities and cost synergies from the Verizon transaction may
not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; the
sufficiency of the assets acquired from Verizon to enable us to operate
the acquired business on an ongoing basis; the effects of greater than
anticipated competition requiring new pricing, marketing strategies or
new product or service offerings and the risk that we will not respond
on a timely or profitable basis; reductions in the number of our access
lines that cannot be offset by increases in high-speed Internet
subscribers and sales of other products; our ability to sell enhanced
and data services in order to offset ongoing declines in revenues from
local services, switched access services and subsidies; the effects of
ongoing changes in the regulation of the communications industry as a
result of federal and state legislation and regulation; the effects of
changes in the availability of federal and state universal funding to us
and our competitors; the effects of competition from cable, wireless and
other wireline carriers (through Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP),
DOCSIS 3.0, 4G or otherwise); our ability to adjust successfully to
changes in the communications industry and to implement strategies for
growth; adverse changes in the credit markets or in the ratings given to
our debt securities by nationally accredited ratings organizations,
which could limit or restrict the availability, or increase the cost, of
financing; continued reductions in switched access revenues as a result
of regulation, competition or technology substitutions; the effects of
changes in both general and local economic conditions on the markets we
serve, which can affect demand for our products and services, customer
purchasing decisions, collectability of revenues and required levels of
capital expenditures related to new construction of residences and
businesses; our ability to effectively manage service quality in our
territories; our ability to successfully introduce new product
offerings, including the ability to offer bundled service packages on
terms that are both profitable to us and attractive to customers;
changes in accounting policies or practices adopted voluntarily or as
required by generally accepted accounting principles or regulations; our
ability to manage effectively our operations, operating expenses and
capital expenditures, and to repay, reduce or refinance our debt; the
effects of bankruptcies and home foreclosures, which could result in
difficulty in collection of revenues and loss of customers; the effects
of technological changes and competition on our capital expenditures and
product and service offerings, including the lack of assurance that our
network improvements will be sufficient to meet or exceed the
capabilities and quality of competing networks; the effects of increased
medical, retiree and pension expenses and related funding requirements;
changes in income tax rates, tax laws, regulations or rulings, or
federal or state tax assessments; the effects of state regulatory cash
management policies on our ability to transfer cash among our
subsidiaries and to the parent company; our ability to successfully
renegotiate union contracts expiring in 2010 and thereafter; declines in
the value of our pension plan assets, which could require us to make
contributions to the pension plans in 2011 and beyond; the effects of
any unfavorable outcome with respect to any of our current or future
legal, governmental or regulatory proceedings, audits or disputes; the
possible impact of adverse changes in political or other external
factors over which we have no control; and the effects of hurricanes,
ice storms or other natural disasters.
Source: Frontier Communications
Contact:
Frontier Communications
Karen C. Miller, 845-344-9416
Karen.Miller@FTR.com