READING, England, October 21 /PRNewswire/ --

- Company Receives 'Best in Business' Accolade for Innovation and Creativity in Carrier Ethernet Implementation

Verizon Business has been awarded the 2008 Best in Business European Carrier Ethernet Service Provider of the Year Award from the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF). Verizon Business won on the strength of its industry leadership, innovation and creativity in the development and implementation of carrier Ethernet solutions.

The MEF Service Provider of the Year Awards recognise excellence and leadership in the development, marketing and delivery of carrier Ethernet business services. The Best in Business award is granted to the service provider that, in the opinion of the judges, has done the most overall to support carrier Ethernet services in the EMEA region.

Verizon Business' award recognises, among other areas, the continued increase in geographic availability of the company's Ethernet services, including Verizon Ethernet Private Line and Verizon Ethernet access to Private IP. Highlights of the past year include the ongoing rollout of Verizon Business' Converged Packet Access network in Europe and around the world, as well as an increase in off-net Ethernet capabilities, thanks to an increased number of third-party access suppliers. The company is also continuing to enhance online support for Ethernet services available through the Verizon Enterprise Center. This continuous development of Verizon Business' Ethernet portfolio ensures a broad number of products and services to fit specific customer needs. Verizon is an active participant in the MEF certification process.

Verizon Business accepted its 2008 European Service Provider of the Year Award at an MEF-sponsored reception in Berlin last month, as part of the 4th Annual Carrier Ethernet World Congress conference event. The award is the latest in a string of accolades for Verizon's Ethernet portfolio, giving testament to the company's ongoing leadership in the global Ethernet space. Verizon recently received the MEF's 2008 Carrier Ethernet Service Provider of the Year, Best in Business for North America; Verizon Business also won the MEF's 2007 European Service Provider award for Service Innovation.

Mike Marcellin, vice president of global product marketing, Verizon Business, commented: Ethernet is an increasingly popular transport mode for our multinational customers' mission-critical data, and we are committed to the continued expansion of both our solution portfolio and its geographic availability to meet customers' needs. An ideal solution for companies wishing to migrate to a converged IP environment, or enhance application availability to their global network of offices, Ethernet enables business applications to be easily delivered and managed across the wide area network. We're delighted to be recognised by the MEF as the Best in Business for 2008, and look forward to leading the industry in Ethernet service delivery over the coming years.

MEF president Nan Chen said, Verizon demonstrates continued commitment to enabling new Carrier Ethernet solutions around the world, and this latest award is testament to these efforts.

Verizon's award-winning portfolio of Ethernet services includes: - Ethernet Virtual Private Line (EVPL) in the U.S, between the U.S. and 21 European countries, and between the U.S. and six Asia-Pacific countries. - Ethernet Private Line (EPL) in the U.S. and 21 European countries, with metro, national, and international connections to and from the U.S. - Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) in the U.S. (with plans to expand coverage to Europe and Asia-Pacific in 2009). - Ethernet Access to Private IP in the U.S., 21 European countries, 13 Asia-Pacific countries, four Latin American countries and Canada. - Ethernet Access to the public Internet in the U.S., Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Canada.

EVPL, VPLS and Ethernet Access products are made available using Verizon's Converged Packet Architecture (CPA) infrastructure.

The MEF's award winners were selected by a judging panel chosen from key industry analysts covering this sector in Europe. Submitted entries are evaluated anonymously, and the names of the winning providers are not revealed to the MEF until the judging process has been completed.

About Verizon Business

Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), operates the world's most connected public IP network and uses its industry-leading global-network capabilities to offer large-business and government customers an unmatched combination of security, reliability and speed. The company integrates advanced IP communications and information technology (IT) products and services to deliver leading enterprise solutions including managed services, security, mobility, collaboration and professional services. These solutions power innovation and enable the company's customers to do business better. For more information, visit www.verizonbusiness.com.

Web site: http://www.verizonbusiness.com

Jo Perrin of Verizon Business, +44-770-252-5868, Jo.perrin@verizonbusiness.com