BASKING RIDGE, New Jersey, May 14 /PRNewswire/ --

- New Private IP Nodes and Expanded Access Support Communications Requirements of Multinational Customers

Verizon Business has further enhanced its global Private IP footprint to support the evolving data needs of its global customer base. The company continues to add a significant number of Private IP nodes in key growth territories around the world, and has also enhanced both DSL and Ethernet access capabilities.

As a result, more customers than ever can now benefit from a direct and secure, high-performance link to the Verizon Business global multiprotocol-label-switching (MPLS) network, the foundation for Verizon Business' portfolio of next-generation products and services.

"Verizon Business really gets the importance of providing converged access options globally to Private IP customers," commented Sandra O'Boyle, research director, Business Telecom Services Europe for Current Analysis. "In our April 2008 research of global MPLS IP VPN services, Verizon Business stands out from competitors in terms of its extensive support for Ethernet access to Private IP, which is now available in 20 European countries."

In the past year, Verizon Business increased its total number of Private IP ports by over 45 percent and its Ethernet access capabilities by over 400 percent. New Verizon Private IP nodes have now been established in Asia-Pacific (China, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea); Eastern Europe (Bulgaria and Romania); and Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Panama and Peru). Verizon Private IP is now available to customers in 121 countries and territories worldwide, with additional node deployments planned this year in Iceland, Pakistan, India and Russia.

In addition, Verizon Business has doubled the number of countries with Ethernet access to Private IP. Ethernet third-party interconnections are now available in Canada; the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland; Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand; and Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Colombia. Verizon Business has also implemented an ongoing quality assurance programme for its third-party Ethernet providers, ensuring a consistent, high-quality experience.

Verizon Business has also enhanced Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and Secure Gateway access capabilities to Verizon Private IP. Flexible DSL access options, which enable rich, multi-media communication and high-speed access to corporate LAN resources, are now available in 49 countries worldwide. Verizon Secure Gateway services, which combine a network-based firewall with cost-effective encrypted broadband access to the corporate network, have been expanded into Europe, South Africa, Canada and APAC. These services, an easily implemented alternative to leased lines, are particularly suited for customers requiring cost-efficient connections for remote workers and small branch offices.

Mike Marcellin, Verizon Business vice president of product marketing, commented: "The rapid expansion of Verizon Business' global Private IP footprint reflects the company's commitment to supporting its customers, wherever they are around the world. Private IP is used by many of our global customers as the secure, scalable foundation on which they can build their future business-critical communications tools and services. We are enabling customers to deliver converged voice, data and video applications across global corporate networks with the speed, performance and reliability they need. At the end of the day, it's about enabling customers to realise their business objectives, wherever their business may take them."

Verizon Private IP is a network-based, virtual private network (VPN) that enables customers to effectively communicate over a secure network. The service also provides the foundation for automating business processes between companies, including e-commerce, and shared intranets and extranets. Based on MPLS technology, Verizon Private IP offers customers scalable and flexible network connections with integrated performance and traffic-management capabilities.

About Verizon Business

Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a global IP leader and network-based partner for delivering integrated communications and information technology (IT) solutions to large-business and government customers worldwide. Combining unsurpassed reach with managed services, security, mobility, collaboration and professional services capabilities, Verizon Business delivers global solutions that power innovation and enable its 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 /Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/094251.html