Verizon's Fiber-Optic Expertise Is Key Resource at National Fiber Engineering Conference

Verizon's Fiber-Optic Expertise Is Key Resource at National Fiber Engineering
Conference

Verizon Technical Staff and Engineers Discuss Future Bandwidth Needs, Optical
Switching, Network Efficiencies, Bendable Fiber and Other Key Elements of
Successful Fiber-to-the Home Program

SAN DIEGO, March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Having the largest, most advanced network
delivering video, data and voice over fiber-optic connections directly to
customers has given Verizon network planners and builders a unique view of
fiber's performance -- and the opportunities its enormous capacity offers.

As a result, some 16 Verizon engineers are making appearances, presenting
papers or giving presentations on fiber technology at the Optical Fiber
Communication Conference and Exposition and the National Fiber Optic Engineers
Conference event being held this week in San Diego. Verizon experts will
speak on topics as varied as automated all-optical switching, the bandwidth
flexibility of fiber, how to meet future bandwidth needs and the network
construction savings already enabled by current technologies.

"There's no question that because of our five-year head start over competitors
of our size we have not just the theoretical understanding of fiber and what
it can do, but real experience and a clear perspective on what it will be
doing tomorrow and further into the future," said Stu Elby, vice president --
network architecture for Verizon and a presenter at the events.

"Actually operating a fiber network directly to customers' premises was a big
commitment, but it is paying off now as customers demand more and more
capacity for large files and video delivery," he said. "We're at the stage
now that we have to look forward to the days of 3D TV and gigabit-per-second
traffic in and out of homes and small businesses. Sharing that view is what
this conference is about."

Elby's two presentations focus on successful strategies for supporting
bandwidth-intensive applications and bandwidth flexibility and high
availability.

Other Verizon presenters will discuss how managing fiber-to-the-premises
(FTTP) services with the latest reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer
(ROADM) technologies decreases the number of network elements, lowering costs
and reducing service failure points; how Verizon is deploying bend-insensitive
fiber in apartment and multiunit buildings; the growth of 40
gigabit-per-second transmission in backbone networks; fiber optic transport of
ground-based wireless traffic; and options for quadrupling the bandwidth of
today's passive optical network facilities.

Verizon is also aggressively testing 100 Gbps technology. In December 2007,
the company tested this technology in the labs and quickly moved to field
testing. The company recently carried out a successful 100 Gbps transmission
on a single wavelength for more than 1,040 kilometers over field fiber,
setting a new distance record and demonstrating better performance than
conventional transmission.

The field trial, conducted on the Verizon network in north Dallas, proved that
100 Gbps signals can be simultaneously transported with 10 Gbps and 40 Gbps
signals on the same system with superior results by using advanced optical
techniques. The trial also demonstrated that 100 Gbps signals can be
simultaneously transported with any mix of 10 Gbps and 40 Gbps on a typical
80-channel ultra-long-haul dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) system. As
a result, current network configurations can support capacity upgrades up to
100 Gbps per channel on existing routes over similar distances without
modification to the physical network, providing quicker, cost-effective
implementation.

"As a leader in pursuit of 100 Gbps technology, Verizon's goal is to drive
optical networking to deliver greater capacities over longer distances to
enhance the high performance and high bandwidth of our network," said Elby.
"Whether it's FiOS delivering HD channels and video on demand or business
customers using database applications and online trading, we strive to provide
the most advanced underlying network technology for our customers."

Elby added: "Networks are never done. Emerging demand brought about by
developments in other industries -- whether data services, video services or
complex network design and transport services -- are a tradition in our
industry. No matter what the base technologies, engineers and network
planners toil to make things better, bigger, less costly and more efficient.

"That's what the Verizon presence in San Diego is about -- the effort to make
continuous progress in fiber technology and deployment."

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader
in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication
innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.
Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving
more than 80 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations
include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business
solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings
customers the benefits of converged communications, information and
entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. A
Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of nearly 224,000 and last
year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $97 billion. For
more information, visit www.verizon.com.

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and
biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other
information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at
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SOURCE Verizon

Jim Smith, +1-908-559-3477, james.albert.smith@verizon.com, or Lynn Staggs,
+1-918-590-2403, c-lynn.staggs@verizonbusiness.com, both of Verizon