Growth in Demand for Verizon's Fiber-Optic-Based FiOS Services Spurs Verizon to Seek 320 More Employees for Customer Support Centers in Six States

Growth in Demand for Verizon's Fiber-Optic-Based FiOS Services Spurs Verizon to Seek 320 More Employees for Customer Support Centers in Six States

Company Looking for Additional Employees in California, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia and Washington to Respond to Customer Demand for Industry-Leading FiOS Internet and TV Services

NEW YORK, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Spurred by significant growth in deployment and demand for its fiber-optic-based Internet and TV services around the country, Verizon is hiring about 320 more employees for its state-of-the-art Fiber Solutions Centers (FSCs) in six locations.

The company is seeking candidates for management and associate positions at FSCs in Dallas; Hampton, Va.; Oxnard, Calif.; Providence, R.I.; Syracuse, N.Y.; and Everett, Wash.

Employees in the centers support consumers and business customers who purchase new broadband and video products -- known as FiOS (FYE'-ose) services -- delivered over Verizon's new, all-fiber network, which the company is building in more than half the states where it provides landline phone service. The new technology uses fiber-optic connections -- instead of copper wire -- all the way from Verizon network centers directly into homes or businesses. With fiber optics it is possible to provide a broad array of voice, data and video services with greater reliability, quality and capacity than any other technology. Verizon is the only company to connect homes and small businesses directly with fiber optics on a large scale.

Verizon plans to pass 18 million premises with its fiber network by the end of 2010, or more than 50 percent of the approximately 33 million households in the company's 28-state wireline service area. The FiOS network buildout is on target to pass a total of 6 million premises by year-end 2006, with an additional 3 million a year planned through 2010.

Verizon has set a target of 725,000 FiOS Internet customers by year-end 2006, with the service available for sale to 5 million premises. This would represent a market penetration of approximately 15 percent, toward a 2010 goal of 35 percent to 40 percent -- or from 6 million to 7 million FiOS Internet customers.

Verizon has set a target of 175,000 FiOS TV customers by year-end 2006, making the service available to 1.8 million households. This would be a market penetration rate of approximately 10 percent. More than 1 million households are already currently eligible to purchase FiOS TV services, due to Verizon's significant progress in obtaining state and local cable franchises.

Verizon's goal is for FiOS TV to have a market penetration rate that ranges from 20 percent to 25 percent by 2010 -- or from 3 million to 4 million FiOS TV customers -- based on its estimate that approximately 15 million households will be video-ready by then.

"The Fiber Solutions Center and its employees are playing a key role as Verizon provides our new FiOS customers with an unprecedented broadband and video experience," said Robert Mudge, Verizon Telecom executive vice president and chief operating officer. "Our employees are trained in all aspects of how this technology works, and they will help our customers get the most out of the very best broadband and entertainment services available."

Specially trained fiber-customer-support analysts and fiber-network technicians in the center handle calls from customers who buy FiOS Internet and FiOS TV services, and also support Verizon technicians who install the new products, answering technical questions and remotely diagnosing and correcting problems.

Some of the requirements for the new positions include:

- Basic understanding of communications networking components such as
routers, LAN topology, Ethernet and network interface cards, as well as
a working knowledge of PC hardware/software functionality.
- Training, education or experience related to PC home-networking
technology.
- Working at a computer terminal assisting internal and external
customers.
- Must be willing to work regularly scheduled hours including day,
evening, night weekend and holidays as required. Overtime may also be
required.

Job responsibilities include:

- Answer incoming calls from customers with order inquiry and/or trouble
reports.
- Providing fiber-to-home activation support.
- Analyzing and isolating trouble conditions.
- Initiating service-order corrections and changes.
- Understanding of PC components and functionality, the ability to work
with customers on the telephone and to isolate/resolve problems with the
equipment at a customer location.

Candidates for the new positions can apply and schedule testing by visiting: www.verizon.com/fiberjobs

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), a Dow 30 company, 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 nearly 55 million customers nationwide. Verizon Business operates one of the most expansive wholly-owned global IP networks. Verizon Telecom is deploying the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network to deliver the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services to customers. Based in New York, Verizon has a diverse workforce of more than 252,000 and generates annual consolidated operating revenues of approximately $90 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 www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

Source: Verizon

CONTACT: Mark Marchand, +1-908-559-3525, mark.a.marchand@verizon.com

Web site: http://www.verizon.com/
http://www.verizon.com/fiberjobs
http://www.verizon.com/news

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/618232.html

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