Sony, Broadwing Announce Marketing Agreement For Videoconferencing; Broadwing's Award-Winning IP Network To Be Marketed with Sony Videoconferencing Endpoints.

Business Editors, High-Tech Writers

AUSTIN, Texas and PARK RIDGE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 8, 2000

Broadwing Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Broadwing Inc. (NYSE:BRW), and Sony Electronics Inc. announced today an agreement to jointly market Sony videoconferencing endpoints with Broadwing's high-speed IP network platform. For businesses, the result of this collaboration will make establishing videoconferencing connections as easy as dialing a phone.

Plans call for Sony to provide business customers with advanced videoconferencing set-top systems, while Broadwing will provide customized T1 connections from the videoconferencing devices to its 18,000-mile, award-winning, pure IP backbone. Under the agreement, Sony and Broadwing also plan to provide front- and back-end office solutions, offering plug-and-play videoconferencing systems with high-speed network performance.

"This collaboration between Broadwing and Sony will help establish new marketing channels for our products and services, in addition to opening up new opportunities for videoconferencing applications in the data and Internet services arena," according to Walter Sebastian, vice president for videoconferencing for Sony Electronics' Business and Professional Company. "By tapping into Broadwing's all-optical IP network and offering the industry's most competitive endpoint pricing, we look forward to making high-quality videoconferencing readily available to businesses of all sizes."

"Sony is an innovator and recognizes the need for additional network capacity to handle multipoint videoconferencing calls," said Rick Pontin, president and COO of Broadwing Communications. "With this agreement, Broadwing brings to the table an advanced, all-optical network platform with the speed and capacity to handle extensive video traffic."

With an all-in-one networked system and payment program soon to be announced by Broadwing and Sony, the two companies expect videoconferencing to become an even more attractive business tool for meetings and presentations, allowing companies to cost-effectively bring together employees at multiple locations, saving time, reducing travel expenses and increasing productivity.

Broadwing is designing its all-optical network to meet the rapidly growing need across the business spectrum for additional network capacity and to provide bandwidth on demand to fulfill the network speed, simplicity and flexibility requirements of modern businesses. The all-optical technology that Broadwing is implementing will ultimately cut the time and reduce the costs associated with adding more channels to existing optical fiber, because it minimizes the need for signal regeneration.

Sony's Contact videoconferencing set-top box is a plug-and-play system that weighs about six pounds. The Contact system is the industry's first set-top box to offer a dockable pan/tilt/zoom camera, which can automatically follow a moving subject. Additionally, the optional wireless document stand can integrate any 3D object or PC-based application into the videoconference by simply connecting it to a PC or laptop.

About Sony

Sony Electronics' Business and Professional Company (BPC), a unit of Sony Electronics, Inc., provides advanced products and systems for a variety of professional and broadcast markets, including production, corporate, industrial, government, security, medical and education. Sony designs products and applications that facilitate the transition to digital technologies and the emerging broadband network era. Sony products and services include those for broadcast acquisition, production, storage, data management, system integration, digital imaging, digital printing, videoconferencing, large and small venue display and projection needs. Sony Electronics had record annual sales of about $12.2 billion in the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2000. For more information, visit www.sony.com/professional.

About Broadwing

Broadwing Communications is a wholly owned subsidiary of Broadwing Inc. (NYSE:BRW). Broadwing combines unparalleled customer service with the industry's most advanced and flexible 18,000 mile next-generation fiber optic network and award-winning IP backbone, to create data and internet solutions that are innovative, reliable, and provide businesses a competitive advantage. Broadwing will be the first provider with a fully deployed optical network and sets the standard for customer accountability with the industry's only Installation Guarantee. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Austin, Texas, with 6,000 employees in 56 sales and service offices across the country, Broadwing can be found on the web at www.broadwing.com.

Note: Information included in this news release contains forward-looking statements that involve potential risks and uncertainties. Broadwing's future plans or results could differ materially from those discussed herein. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, Broadwing's ability to maintain its market position in communications services, and its ability to develop and successfully launch new products and services. More information on potential risks and uncertainties is available in the company's recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Form 10-K reports for Broadwing Inc. and Broadwing Communications.