[May 25, 2004] Lightship Telecom Invests Over $1 Million in Vermont Voice & Data Network; New services & technology for Vermont business WILLISTON, Vt. --(Business Wire)-- May 25, 2004 -- Lightship Telecom, an integrated communications provider of voice, Internet and data services to New England business, has extensively enhanced its telecommunications infrastructure in the state of Vermont. Effective Sunday, May 23, 2004, Lightship implemented the Nortel DMS-100, a sophisticated central office voice and data switching platform that provides carrier class reliability and valuable new technology to businesses and other organizations in Vermont. The addition of the DMS-100 switch in Vermont represents an investment of over one million dollars to the communications network of Lightship Telecom. Lightship has built the broadest voice & data network in New England of all competitive communications companies. The new switch will provide enhanced reliability, allow greater geographic expansion within Vermont, and lead to the introduction of new services. "This investment demonstrates our commitment to the state of Vermont," said Kevin O'Hare, President & Chief Executive Officer, Lightship Telecom. "We've dedicated significant capital to providing Vermont business with enhanced communications reliability and services." New services available to Vermont businesses include ATM To The Edge," enhanced Centrex and PRI, improved Caller ID and 911, and more. The new switch also provides the highest available level of reliability in switch technology, with automatic detection of service interruption and transition to redundant systems. The switch redundancy is exercised nightly to confirm backup reliability. The Nortel DMS-100 is recognized by the Federal Communications Commission as a leader in reliability, according to the FCC's Automatic Reporting Management and Information System (ARMIS) report. The Lightship Telecom network covers more of New England than any competitive local exchange provider, reaching over 80% of the businesses in the region. The company's investment in Vermont further broadens that reach, complementing Lightship service in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Rhode Island. In Vermont, Lightship provides voice, Internet and data services to business from strategically-deployed switching facilities in greater Barre, Brattleboro, Burlington, Essex Junction, Montpelier, Rutland, St. Albans and White River Junction. In the near future, Lightship will announce new Vermont locations served by its telecommunications network. Lightship Telecom provides cost-effective and customer-focused business communication services over its New England-wide proprietary and facilities-based digital switching network, including Class 5 Nortel telephone switches and Lucent CBX-500 ATM/Frame Relay data switches. Lightship core services include local and long distance telephone service, high speed and dedicated Internet access, wireless Internet access, ATM To The Edge, VoIP, Wide Area Networks, Frame Relay, Virtual Private Networks and point-to-point connectivity. Value-added voice and data services of Lightship Telecom include conference calling; voicemail; calling cards; e-mail and web-mail, spam filtering; web, domain, FTP and e-mail hosting; and co-location. About Lightship Telecom: The Lightship Telecom network covers more of New England than any competitive local exchange provider. Lightship is an integrated communications provider serving New England business, government and organizations with highly reliable and cost-effective voice, Internet and data services over a state-of-the-art, facilities-based digital switching network. Lightship delivers superior business communications service by implementing customer-focused and conservative business strategies. Lightship customers enjoy a single point of contact for customer service and a single monthly invoice supported by on-line reports, account summaries and statistics. Call or click for more information about Lightship Telecom at 1-877-LIT-SHIP (1-877-548-7447), [email protected] or via www.lightship.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]