GeoVideo Networks Appoints Former Vyvx Executive Mike Pirrone as Vice President of Strategic Sales.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 14, 2001

Co-Founder of Vyvx's Broadcast Sales Group to

Head up Broadcast and Cable Sales for GeoVideo Networks

GeoVideo Networks(TM), Inc., which is assembling a global, fiber-optic visual communications network, today announced the appointment of Mike Pirrone to the position of vice president of strategic sales for the broadcast and cable industries. A broadcast and cable services sales veteran with more than 25 years of experience, Pirrone will lead a group at GeoVideo that will be focused on developing and serving key accounts for GeoVideo's fiber network services with network broadcasters, major cable programming groups, and international programmers. Pirrone will be based at GeoVideo's headquarters facility in New York City.

Until recently, Pirrone was the executive director of national accounts for Williams Vyvx, a unit of Williams Communications Group (NYSE:WCG), focused on developing next-generation services for long-term broadcast customers, including ABC/Disney, CBS, NBC, Turner/CNN, Fox, ESPN, MSNBC, CNBC, and HBO. Pirrone helped develop the original sales operations for Vyvx in 1990 and was an integral part of the company's market-leading position in fiber-optic services.

"Mike has quite literally established himself as the pre-eminent relationship manager in the fiber-optic video industry, having virtually invented the practice. He maintains an unparalleled reputation with the leading broadcast and cable network operations managers," said Clifford J. Schorer, co-CEO of GeoVideo Networks. "As we move forward, Mike will fulfill a critical role as a liaison for the broadcast and cable industries' convergence services with GeoVideo Networks. He is a stellar addition to our growing sales operation."

Prior to Vyvx, Pirrone held various sales and broadcast operations positions with ABC Television, Private Satellite Network, Inc.; Contel ASC International; and RCA Americom.

Pirrone holds a B.A. in communications from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

GeoVideo Networks

GeoVideo Networks will deliver real-time bi-directional Internet Protocol (IP) video as well as HDTV over an international fiber network, consisting of both core ATM and IP services, for a host of business-to-business video applications, in the financial, medical, government, news, and entertainment industries.

Top public television stations, affiliated as the CSRG Digital, L.L.C., a group of 28 stations in major markets in the U.S., have formed an alliance with GeoVideo Networks to jointly market and sell GeoVideo Networks services and make their production studios available to GeoVideo Networks customers. The CSRG group includes Thirteen/WNET-TV in New York and KCET-TV in Los Angeles and covers 50% of the U.S. broadcast audience.

Already, GeoVideo has linked stations Thirteen/WNET in New York and KCET-TV in Los Angeles over its high-speed fiber network. In 2001, GeoVideo plans to connect Chicago's WTTW-TV, Dallas' KERA-TV, Philadelphia's WHYY-TV, Washington, D.C.'s WETA-TV, Denver's KMRA-TV and Seattle's KCTS-TV to the GeoVideo showcase network. London will be the first international link in the GeoVideo network.

In July, 2000, GeoVideo Networks completed the industry's first transcontinental fiber-optic video network links, transmitting real-time HDTV over fiber, between Thirteen/WNET in New York and KCET-TV in Los Angeles.

GeoVideo Networks also markets its GeoVideo Browser(TM) software, which will enable network customers to handle up to sixteen simultaneous real-time video windows at 30 frames per second to the PC desktop over the GeoVideo network. Designed as a taskbar that sits directly on users' Windows desktops, the GeoVideo Browser enables users to manipulate real-time, bi-directional TV-quality video, and conduct multi-party conference sessions. Based on patented Bell Labs technology, the GeoVideo Browser will act as the general-purpose client device for the GeoVideo network, enabling users to view any type of video, regardless of encoding scheme.

GeoVideo Networks will provide videoconferencing services and high-speed video transfer services. The GeoVideo network will support optical speeds of DS-3 to OC-192 and beyond and DSL configurations. Standard definition and high-definition (HDTV) video, both streamed and stored, will be supported.

The GeoVideo Networks offer enables any standard business LAN to offer secure, private video communications directly to the desktop.

GeoVideo Networks, headquartered in New York City with offices in Los Angeles, is building a global fiber-optic network for the delivery of broadband Internet Protocol (IP) video and visual communications services for a wide range of business customers. GeoVideo Networks is owned by the Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) New Ventures Group, Thomas Weisel Partners, the Ocepek Group, Crest Communications Holdings, and East River Ventures. For more information, please visit www.geovideo.net.

Editor's Note: Color photographs of Mike Pirrone are available upon request.