New Edge Networks Expands Broadband Services Into Florida; Daytona Beach First to Get DSL Internet Access.

Business/High Tech Editors

VANCOUVER, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 22, 2000

New Edge Networks, the leading national wholesale broadband services provider in small, midsize and semi-rural markets, today announced it has expanded its digital subscriber line (DSL) service into Florida and now has a coast-to-coast network footprint.

The high speed Internet access service will be offered to both residential and business users through local Internet service and solution providers.

New Edge Networks is offering its DSL service first in Daytona Beach. The company's network will reach approximately 75 percent of homes and businesses in the city. This summer and fall the company plans to expand its Florida network to include coverage through 78 locations in nearly 50 communities, primarily in the northern half of the state and extending south to the Marco Island area.

In the coming weeks, businesses and residents in communities such as Bonita Springs, De Land, Fort Myers, Fort Walton Beach, Gainesville, Hobe Sound, Lakeland, Melbourne, Ocala, Pensacola, Port Charlotte, Sebastian, Tallahassee and Titusville will have access to DSL service.

During the last six months New Edge Networks has installed DSL network equipment in more than 330 local telephone central office locations in 18 states. Work is progressing at more than 750 other locations in all 50 states.

Including Florida, New Edge Networks provides DSL service through more than 200 of these locations, representing more than 125 cities and towns in 12 states. New Edge Networks first launched DSL service in its home state of Washington last fall.

"From Vancouver, Washington, to Daytona Beach, New Edge Networks has come a long way in bridging the digital divide," said Dan Moffat, president, CEO and co-founder of New Edge Networks. "Staying focused on our wholesale business model allows us to aggressively expand our footprint and become the first or early market entrant for offering competitive broadband services in underserved smaller cities and towns. We're seeing that demand for broadband in smaller cities and towns is as strong, if not stronger than demand in the major cities where other providers are focused."

"Just as browsers such as Netscape opened up the Internet to everyone, high-speed broadband access is revolutionizing how we use the Internet for work, to learn, live and play," said Phil Forrester, general manager of New Edge Networks' Southeast Region. "With super-fast DSL speed, Web pages don't load; they blink open. Pictures and rich graphics don't gradually fill in; they pop in instantly, making the Internet browsing experience more productive and enjoyable.

"For business owners in Daytona Beach it's not a question of whether they'll get broadband access; it's a question of when," Forrester said. "With a super fast link, people find themselves doing things they never bothered to try with a dial up modem."

DSL technology uses existing standard telephone wires in homes and businesses to enable access to the Internet and corporate data networks at guaranteed speeds of 1,000 kilobits per second or faster compared to 28k or 56k speeds through dial-up analog modems. In addition to guaranteed speed, other key benefits of DSL technology include continuous "on demand" connectivity eliminating dial up or waiting; secure access using dedicated facilities; and reliability because the network is monitored around the clock.

For business customers with dedicated leased lines from the local telephone company, business-class DSL technology generally provides the same speed at half the monthly cost. Monthly DSL rate offerings range among Internet service providers and generally include the monthly ISP access charge, local telephone charges, plus unlimited usage.

About New Edge Networks

Based in Vancouver, Wash., New Edge Networks was founded in June 1999 to provide wholesale DSL service nationally in small, midsize and semi-rural markets through local, regional and national Internet service providers, communications companies, and other strategic relationships. The Southeast Region serves Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. The company is certified to provide service in 45 states and plans to offer service in all 50 states by early next year. Top-tier private venture firms, global financial institutions and worldwide technology firms provide financial backing to New Edge Networks. These include: Accel Partners, Comdisco Ventures, Crosspoint Venture Partners, Goldman Sachs & Co., Greylock, Intel Corporation, Meritech Capital Partners and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. The company's Web site is www.newedgenetworks.com.