Network Enhancements Expanded Premium High-Speed Internet

ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Frontier Communications (NASDAQ: FTR) announced today that it has invested nearly $473 million in its New York operations since 2011, including approximately $146.8 million in 2014.

Significant funding supported engineering initiatives to increase broadband speeds and improve network infrastructure for residential and commercial customers throughout Frontier's 38-county New York service area.

"We significantly invested in our network and equipment to offer faster broadband speeds to 40,000 New York households in the upgraded service areas," said Kevin Smith, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Frontier's New York operations. "The increased capacity and reliability is especially important for households with multiple simultaneous Internet users and with the prevalence of the Internet of Things -- new technologies and devices that connect with each other via the Internet."

2014 highlights in New York include:

  • Leveraging the company's own capital and the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Connect America Fund (CAF), Frontier upgraded 181 remote access nodes to an IP (Internet Protocol) platform, resulting in faster broadband speeds.
  • Expanding the Ethernet network within the company's rural territories, Frontier enabled 38 switching offices with premium Metro Ethernet services that provide customers access to speeds up to 1 Gbps. Customers located in Fulton, Montgomery, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, Chenango, Madison, Delaware and Clinton counties will benefit from the build-out.
  • Within the Rochester market, Frontier completed a major next-generation IP network enhancement. The IP network is dedicated to providing premium Internet services to both residential and business customers and will provide capacity to meet our customers' ever growing demand for broadband bandwidth.
  • Providing leading-edge Ethernet services to the Rochester market for the last decade, Frontier upgraded Rochester's Metro Ethernet network to a much larger core ring with significantly larger Internet connections and a thorough re-design of the entire topology. This upgrade resulted in greater network capacity and redundancy, ultimately providing a better product for business customers, including point-to-point and dedicated Internet access.
  • Partnering with Hamilton County, Frontier was awarded Phase 2 of a New York State broadband grant to upgrade 17 remote access nodes to Internet speed capabilities up to 40 Mbps. This initiative is scheduled to be completed by summer 2015 and will provide approximately 2,500 households in rural Hamilton County with access to premium broadband services.

In 2015, Frontier is positioned to receive funding from the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Connect America Fund (CAF) Phase 2. "CAF funds plus Frontier's capital will increase deployment of higher-speed services to even the most rural parts of our New York territories," said Smith. The FCC program is poised to open in the latter half of 2015 and will provide funds over a six-year period. This program will target download speeds of 10 Mbps to all areas receiving funds.

In Rochester, Frontier also invested significantly in IT software upgrades and engineering projects that benefit the company's 28-state customer base. "Rochester is home to many of our centralized functions," stated Smith. "For example, Frontier's Internet Help Desk, Payroll, Training, Operator Services, Network Operations Center and Engineering are headquartered in Rochester and serve employees and customers throughout New York and also throughout Frontier's coast-to-coast territories. Rochester is a critical center of excellence within Frontier's operations."

Commenting on Frontier's commitment to the Empire State, Smith noted, "With more than 2,400 employees in New York making great technology available, we're proud to deliver the very best to our New York customers in towns and our most rural areas."

About Frontier Communications

Frontier Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: FTR) offers broadband, voice, video, wireless Internet data access, data security solutions, bundled offerings, specialized bundles for residential customers, small businesses and home offices and advanced communications for medium and large businesses in 28 states. Frontier's approximately 17,800 employees are based entirely in the United States. More information is available at www.frontier.com.

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Frontier Communications
Patricia Amendola, Communications Manager
570-631-6013 (office)
570-885-9559 (cell)
Patricia.Amendola@ftr.com

Source: Frontier Communications



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