Everest Broadband Networks Introduces Unprecedented Scope of Local Access Services and Applications; Announces Top Customers and Real Estate Trust Wins.

Business/Technology Editors

FORT LEE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 17, 2000

Leading Landlords, Telecom Industry Watchers Praise Everest's

One-Stop Management and Resolution for Integrated Services and Applications, its Innovative Architecture Which Broadens

the Usability of Advanced Applications, and

its Sustainable Service Delivery Model.

Everest Broadband Networks, an innovative new entrant in the fast-growing Building Local Exchange Carrier (BLEC) telecommunications market, today announced its introduction of an unprecedented array of access and application service products for Multi-Tenant Unit (MTU)-based small and medium sized businesses. Everest's ground-breaking integration of transport services, managed network services and business applications goes far beyond the transport services that have characterized BLECs, and is developed to fill the most urgent `competitive parity' needs of under-served small and medium businesses, without requiring them to divert substantial internal resources into IT infrastructure management.

Everest also announced today its selection by more than 60 leading customers and real estate trusts throughout the US and Canada, including the Chrysler Center, the GM Building at Trump International Plaza, the Chicago Merchandise Mark and Los Angeles' Pacific Design Center. With 180 million square feet under contract to date, Everest is firmly establishing early market leadership, with offices throughout North America and the U.K.

Frank Dzubeck of Communications Network Architects noted: "Everest has

recognized that reliable integrated communications services are the "next gen utility" building blocks, and that they are as critical to customers today as the delivery of electricity was a century ago. By delivering dependable, multi-service transport that customers require and innovative, managed network applications such as security, unified messaging and multi-media that customers desire in today's "Internet age", Everest is tapping into the unmet needs of a new market, where customers lack the in-house resources/expertise to maintain and support leading edge communications services."

"Everest's comprehensive list of services make it an attractive access services partner for property owners by delivering integrated communications as a key incentive in attracting and retaining tenants. This is a "win-win" proposition for the property owner, the tenant and Everest," Dzubeck concluded.

In coupling transport and managed network application services, Everest is responding to the urgent needs of small-to-medium businesses for both a fuller scope of competitive applications and services, and comprehensive, single-source resolution for these integrated applications and services. Everest's unique approach to integrated customer support recognizes that small and medium businesses are among the most susceptible to the negative impacts of service and applications outages, both because of their limited in-house IT resources for prompt problem resolution, and because of their down time opportunity costs are very high.

In addition to its evolving, flexible, and easy-to-provision transport services, Everest is introducing a full slate of utility services and network applications such as IP fax, web conferencing, collaboration, B-to-B commerce, video broadcast and web hosting and e-mail. It is also partnering with ASPs in key vertical industries for bundling, caching and local broadband delivery of additional strategic applications and services.

This unprecedented application and service aggregation offers small and medium sized businesses a uniquely compelling set of benefits beyond Everest's `always on' broadband and single-point of management and resolution, including: a common user interface portal, simplified single user ID and password, integrated and simplified billing, and unprecedented control over the array and levels of applications and services used.

Application service providers gain broadband quality for their service delivery, local caching for maximum performance and availability, the opportunity to maximize revenues without equivalently scaling customer care expenses, and increased revenue realized via an ideal platform for the delivery of incremental services.

Landlords realize multiple benefits by making this crucial new "core utility" available, including tenant retention, the ability to derive maximum dollar value per square foot, and the incentive of working with a leading BLEC.

The Everest Model: Sustainable, Highest Quality Services

Everest ensures the scalability and easy sustanability of its comprehensive service suite with its innovative and flexible network architecture, based on its Intelligent Service Node (ISN) and integrated local caching for just in time traffic and bandwidth management. Everest customizes its in-building and local PoP build-outs to suit the varying densities and requirements of the properties and customers it services, and readily scales as bandwidth and services demands grow. Everest's powerful, efficient in-building and access facilities are in sharp contrast to the network over-builds common to the industry.

"The emergence of unprecedented edge transport technologies and subscription management services has enabled Everest to introduce an entirely new class of customer-carrier networks that are more powerful, more flexible, more scalable, and more open to future innovation," noted Dr. Rashmi Doshi, Chief Technical Officer, Everest Broadband Networks. "In shaping and strategically applying more agile, customer service-driven technologies, Everest has avoided the economic and service delivery limitations of start-ups who have based their BLEC networks on decades-old technology that can't scale or easily process diverse, massively parallel traffic streams. The technical and economic openness of our customer carrier networks will be one of Everest's ongoing advantages in ensuring our sustained market presence."

Everest's in-building Intelligent Service Node aggregates applications, encompasses satellite and wire-line transport, local storage, caching of HTTP and NTTP traffic, content and application delivery, highly granular user profile management and statistics gathering for per-user QoS and service allocation management. This flexible, pragmatic architecture is ideally suited to price sensitive businesses because it enables consistent telecom and application service performance, optimizes provisioned bandwidth services, enables the simple self-provisioning of incremental bandwidth, and establishes the industry's first true, consistent cost of service delivery.

"Telecom consumers -- especially those in small and medium businesses -- are renowned for their market-savvy preference of providers adept at defining and delivering unique, urgently-needed, high quality service products at a viable and competitive price point," observed Jeffrey Feldman, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Everest Broadband Networks. "The effectiveness, scalability, and economics of our service mix and facilities strategies reflects the leading-edge telecommunications experience and business-driven Bell heritage of Everest's technologists, and demonstrates Everest's commitment to sustained market presence. We believe that this approach currently sets us apart from BLECs who may overbuild their networks, yet under-define their core service products business. These goals will continue to shape Everest's distinctly customer-focused delivery of bandwidth, network and applications services.

About Everest Broadband Networks:

Everest Broadband Networks provides high-speed Internet access and long-distance telephone service in multi-tenant commercial and residential buildings and hotels. Everest also offers building tenants advanced Internet applications, such as e-mail, tools to build Web sites, site-hosting services, e-commerce software, and virtual private networks. Everest Broadband Networks is headquartered at One Executive Drive, Suite 170, Fort Lee, New Jersey 07024. For more information, visit www.everestbroadband.com or e-mail [e-mail]. Tel: [phone] or 201-944-6477. Fax: [phone].