Electric Lightwave Offers Enhanced Internet Service to the City of Seattle; ELI Network Stands Out In Competitive Bidding Process.

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 10, 1997--Electric Lightwave, Inc. (ELI), a full-service competitive telecommunications provider, announced today the City of Seattle has awarded it a three-year contract to provide Internet Network Access Services.

As the network access provider, ELI's enhanced services will support approximately 10,000 City employees, Seattle Public Libraries and eventually King County with a high-speed link to the national Internet infrastructure.

In an innovative departure from the typical topology of Internet backbone connections, ELI's network strategy differs from the National Science Foundation's Network Access Point (NAP) connections. ELI's Internet strategy has intentionally pointed connectivity away from NAP locations and employs the use of private interconnections directly onto the backbone connections of the three largest carriers MCI, UUNET and Sprint.

"We analyzed the network access points, (the West Coast location is referred to as "MAE West") and discovered ever increasing traffic bottlenecks and service outages even after implementation of sophisticated switching equipment," said Daniel Dunn, product manager of data services. "This allows our packets to traverse world-wide more quickly than taking all packets to a NAP for distribution. ELI can route traffic towards the lowest transit time and the shortest number of `hops' available. Our migration to ATM technology in 1998 will give our customers access to technology that will route them to any point across the world from the largest networks on earth," said Dunn.

Services provided to the City of Seattle:

-- A 22.1 megabit Internet connection

-- Usenet News (a news Reader Service)

-- Redundant and protected features (SONET-based architecture)

-- Increased reliability performance between the City and

ELI as a Network Access Provider

-- Increased bandwidth gives the City the option to pursue

electronic commerce and full-motion video. (City officials

estimate this will be required within three years.)

Expansion in Washington State

ELI currently maintains a SONET-based metropolitan area network (MAN) architecture in Seattle and has expanded to Bellevue. ELI's south Puget Sound expansion continues as franchises have been approved in Tacoma, Lakewood, Pierce County, Dupont, Lacey, Olympia, Thurston County and Tumwater.

In addition, ELI operates a long-haul route from Seattle to Portland with a Portland to Spokane expansion underway and expected to be completed by January. In a separate announcement last week, ELI said it will add a fiber network to its expanding system that will connect Portland and Los Angeles via Boise, Salt Lake and Las Vegas. This route is scheduled to be completed in the first half of 1999.

About Electric Lightwave

Based in Vancouver, Wash., Electric Lightwave is a full-service competitive communications company offering local and long distance telephone service, videoconferencing, prepaid services, data and Internet access services to business customers throughout the Western United States. ELI has received authorization or currently provides state-of-the-art telecommunications services in Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Minnesota and Idaho. ELI is a nationwide long distance carrier and offers business customers a competitive choice for full-service telecommunications. Visit ELI on the World Wide Web at http://www.eli.net .

ELI is a subsidiary of Citizens Utilities (NYSE: CZN, CZNPr) a provider of telecommunications, natural gas, electric, and water and wastewater treatment services to approximately 1.7 million customers in 22 states. Through Citizens Communications, an integrated communications provider, Citizens offers local telephone, long distance, cellular, paging, Internet, network sales and other communications products and services. Citizens also has investments in Centennial Cellular Corp. (NASDAQ: CYCL) and Hungarian Telephone and Cable Corp. (ASE: HTC) Visit Citizens on the World Wide Web at http://www.czn.net .

CONTACT: Electric Lightwave, Inc.

Jack Hardy, 360/816-3602

[e-mail]

URL: www.eli.net