Integra Telecom Receives High Marks for Customer Service and Reliability

Riley Research and Integra Telecom Release Telecom Customer Survey Results
PORTLAND, Ore.--(Business Wire)--
According to a customer survey commissioned by Integra Telecom Inc. and
conducted by independent research firm Riley Research Associates, Integra`s
reliability of service was its highest rated service attribute. The survey
illustrated statistically high levels of satisfaction by Integra`s customers
throughout the company`s rapid growth. Additionally, Integra`s Electric
Lightwave (ELI) and Eschelon Telecom customers who joined the company through
acquisitions during the past three years, showed the greatest increases in
customer service satisfaction.

"The results indicate that overall satisfaction among Integra Telecom`s
customers has remained consistently high throughout the company`s rapid growth
and integration of acquired customers into its local service model," said
Michael J. Riley, APR, PRC, president and research director of Riley Research
Associates. "Our findings show that as the newly acquired customers from ELI and
Eschelon have been integrated into the Integra family, their satisfaction with
their services has continued to grow."

According to the survey, Integra scored 8.9 for reliability and 9.1 for billing
accuracy, on a 10-point scale where 10 means "Extremely Satisfied." The company
also received high marks for its speed in connecting customers with a live
person, its service range, and for having local representatives answer service
calls, rather than being routed through an automated system. All customer groups
surveyed expressed a strong likelihood of recommending Integra Telecom`s
products and services to others.

"Customer service is a core principal of Integra`s business model and we use
Riley`s survey, as well as ongoing feedback from our customers, as key
indicators of whether or not we are exceeding our customers` expectations," said
Dudley Slater, CEO of Integra Telecom. "Having expanded our customer base nearly
fourfold in the past few years, I am pleased to see that we`ve successfully been
able to uphold our promise of providing industry-leading customer service."

When asked to rank the importance of key service attributes of a telecom
provider, reliability was chosen as the most important factor. And, although
price was ranked among the top eight purchase criteria for customers, speed of
reaching a real person, billing accuracy, timely service call resolution and
service reliability were ranked higher.

The results of this survey are based on telephone interviews conducted by Riley
Research Associates with roughly 765 local exchange carrier customers located in
10 of Integra`s 11-state service area. The overall sample provides accuracy to
within a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points at a 95 percent margin of
error. Additional results of this survey can be found on Integra Telecom`s Web
site.

About Riley Research Associates

Riley Research Associates is a 20-year-old communications and market research
firm. Principal Michael J. Riley is a certified professional research
practitioner (PRC) by the Market Research Association, and is accredited (APR)
by the Public Relations Society of America. Riley has been conducting research
in the telecommunications industry for more than 25 years.

About Integra Telecom

Integra Telecom Inc. provides voice, data and Internet communications to
thousands of business and carrier customers in 11 Western states, including:
Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota,
Oregon, Utah and Washington. The company owns and operates a best-in-class
fiber-optic network comprised of metropolitan access networks, a nationally
acclaimed tier one Internet and data network, and a 4,700-mile high-speed long
haul network. The company has earned some of the highest customer loyalty and
customer satisfaction ratings in the telecommunications industry. Primary equity
investors in the company include Warburg Pincus, Banc of America Capital
Investors and Boston Ventures. Integra Telecom and Electric Lightwave are
registered trademarks of Integra Telecom Inc. For more information, visit
www.integratelecom.com.

MEDIA
Integra Telecom Inc.
John Nee, 503-453-8084
john.nee@integratelecom.com
or
Lane PR
Shannon Riggs, 503-546-7885
shannon@lanepr.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009