OnSite Access to "Light" Empire State Building.

OnSite Access, a leading national provider of building-centric integrated communications services, recently announced that it will provide the Empire State Building with communications services and infrastructure for the new millennium.

The new infrastructure will be available to all 880 of the building's business tenants, providing them with high-quality, high-speed connections to "The First Foot" of OnSite Access' advanced communications network. When completed, OnSite Access will have deployed more than 20 miles of fiber optics, as well as copper cabling that will facilitate access to all 2.25 million square feet of the landmark structure.

This leading-edge infrastructure will enable businesses within the Empire State Building to have immediate and cost-effective access to the most advanced communications services available today, including high-speed Internet, data, digital voice and video, as well as broadband content and application services. Utilizing this network architecture, OnSite Access can virtually eliminate the bandwidth bottleneck that typically occurs within the communications infrastructure of commercial office buildings and provide for the optimal delivery of IP (Internet Protocol)- based communications products and services.

"Prior to telecommunications competition, many small to medium-sized business tenants had significantly limited access to many of the communications services afforded Fortune 500 companies," said Howard Taylor, CEO for OnSite Access. "As the world's most highly recognized building, the Empire State Building stands as an excellent example of how OnSite Access can leverage the benefits of a competitive communications environment to provide previously under-served businesses with access to 21st Century communications products and services. OnSite Access' focus on 'The First Foot' of a building's communications infrastructure enables it to successfully serve all of the communications needs of the property owners and their tenants."

OnSite Access is deploying its robust communications infrastructure and offering a full suite of products and services in commercial office buildings located in several of the United States' major cities. This infrastructure enables commercial property owners to take advantage of a value-added amenity and technology upgrade to their buildings at no cost to them, and provides a unique marketing and leasing tool for attracting and retaining quality tenants. For the tenants of these buildings, OnSite Access offers one-stop shopping for a full suite of competitively priced communications services bundled into a single invoice.

"As a result of this agreement, the Empire state Building and its tenants will gain access to one of the most robust and technologically advanced building-centric communications networks available today," said Daren Hornig, executive vice president of market development for OnSite Access. "We are installing a fiber optic backbone that could stretch to one and one half times the length of Manhattan, with enough bandwidth and speed to handle even King Kong's Internet needs."

"The real estate market is fast-changing and highly competitive. Even at the Empire State Building, we continually look for ways to ensure that we attract and retain our quality tenants in the world's most famous landmark," said Stephen Tale, general manager of the Empire State Building and vice president for Helmsley-Spear, Inc. "OnSite Access provides a valuable technological amenity that will give us the edge by providing an advanced telecommunications infrastructure and delivering the services our tenants want."