Looking Glass Networks Turns Up Services in Nine U.S. Metropolitan Markets.

Business/Technology Editors

OAK BROOK, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 15, 2002

More than $15 million in initial customer contracts for lit bandwidth,

dark fiber and collocation services

Looking Glass Networks(SM) Inc., a facilities-based provider of metro data transport services, has introduced a broad range of lit bandwidth, dark fiber and collocation services to telecom carrier and enterprise customers in nine of the largest U.S. metropolitan markets. The recently turned-up networks are located where metro bandwidth demands are greatest: at key carrier hotels, data centers and ILEC central offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Northern New Jersey, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia. Looking Glass has raised $475 million in total capital since its inception in April 2000.

"This is a significant milestone for Looking Glass," said Lynn Refer, CEO and co-founder of Looking Glass Networks. "We have completed our optical networks on schedule and now we are bringing the benefits of focused local network connectivity, flexible service options and fast delivery times to metro customers with large bandwidth needs. In the short time since we turned-up our networks, we've already achieved over $15 million in signed customer contracts from more than 20 key carrier and enterprise customers who are looking for a new network alternative to meet their metro transport requirements."

To meet metro customers' critical requirements for network diversity and service availability, Looking Glass built its own networks that are physically diverse from other carriers in the capacity-constrained metro area. Looking Glass has deployed an application agnostic platform, meaning it offers the full range of carrier class SONET, Ethernet and Wavelength lit services from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps, along with dark fiber and carrier-neutral collocation services. Further differentiating its services, Looking Glass has developed and deployed a flexible operational support system (OSS) suite that facilitates rapid customer provisioning, capable of turning-up service in less than 10 days, and offers point-and-click convenience through a Web-based customer service portal.

Allegiance Telecom (Nasdaq: ALGX), one of the leading integrated communications providers in the U.S., is currently utilizing Looking Glass lit services in Dallas and Washington, D.C., and has placed orders for services in Atlanta and New York. "We selected Looking Glass because they offered us a wide spectrum of lit services that are rapidly provisioned by their experienced telecom team," said Dan Yost, Chief Operating Officer, Allegiance Telecom. "As promised, Looking Glass delivered the lit bandwidth we required on time, allowing us to meet our customers' needs."

"Being facilities-based makes Looking Glass well positioned in the metro space," said Keith Mayberry, Analyst, RHK. "Having the flexibility to build fiber-based metro networks to where demand exists, including incumbent central offices and enterprise locations, is a competitive advantage over other metro service providers."

Because Looking Glass is a true facilities-based service provider, the company controls every aspect of the provisioning process, thus lowering installation and turn up cycles for lit services. The company can also fulfill customers' needs for dark fiber since Looking Glass can extend its network to meet customer requirements and offer physical diversity from other fiber providers.

About Looking Glass

Looking Glass Networks(SM) Inc. provides fast provisioning of SONET, Wavelength and Ethernet-based lit services, high-capacity dark fiber and carrier-neutral collocation services for carrier and enterprise customers. A facilities-based company, Looking Glass builds, owns and operates metropolitan fiber optic networks using the most flexible optical and operational support systems available to provide data transport services in the largest U.S. metro areas. Looking Glass' physically diverse networks provide customers with connections to primary carrier hotels, ILEC Central Offices, key enterprise buildings and other major data aggregation facilities. With its unique protocol "agnostic" platform, Looking Glass delivers focused local network connectivity, flexible service options and fast delivery times to customers with significant bandwidth needs.

Looking Glass was founded in April 2000 by proven telecommunications executives, formerly with Worldcom and MFS, to address the capacity and service challenges in the $20 billion metro data market. Looking Glass has raised $475 million in total capital including $200 million in initial private equity financing led by Madison Dearborn Partners and Battery Ventures.