Southwest Virginia to bridge last mile gap with World Wide Packets' Ethernet access technology

March 29, 2004 Spokane, WA and Duffield, VA--World Wide Packets, a provider of Ethernet access technology, today announced that its LightningEdge suite has been selected for deployment by LENOWISCO Planning District Commission, a central planning agency for the Lee, Wise and Scott counties and the City of Norton, VA. The LightningEdge Ethernet access portfolio will provide residential and business customers access to an fiber-optic loop - more than 220 mi in total.

"With this step, Southwest Virginia becomes one of the most connected areas in the country," said Ron Flanary, executive director of LENOWISCO. "LENOWISCO exists to leverage the best shared services for our member areas. Our choice of World Wide Packets' active Ethernet technology underscores our belief that innovation will continue to flourish in the LENOWISCO district."

The fastest available broadband connection in the LENOWISCO area had been a T-1 line which offered 1.5 million bits per seconds. This new network will feature speeds of 1 billion bits per second.

"World Wide Packets' equipment provides both the speed and control that will transform the way that value added services can be delivered to customers," said Paul Elswick, chief executive of CornerPost Software, the managing consultant for LENOWISCO on this project. "Because LightningEdge allows for per- subscriber, per-application QoS [quality of service], we can run multiple, dissimilar applications over the network at gigabit speed without compromise or interference. This is going to be - without question - a terrific multiplier to the economic development benefits of a broadband deployment."

This municipal broadband initiative is expected to drive economic growth in the region, and customers are already seeing the benefits of this cutting edge network. "As an engineering firm, we deal with large data files everyday," said Bobby Tuck, president of Tuck Engineering. "Before we had gigabit technology, we had to mail large files to our customers, which was time consuming and inefficient. Now, I can send these files around the world just as quickly as it takes me to send it
to my printer."

"LENOWISCO is providing other municipalities with a roadmap to the future," said Dave Curry, president and chief executive of World Wide Packets. "But this is more than just technology for technology's sake. By tapping into this network, LENOWISCO will attract new employers that will expand the tax base. Current businesses will better serve their customers while expanding into new markets. Residents will have greater control over their communication options while receiving next-generation services, such as telemedicine and eLearning. This network is about quality of life."

World Wide Packets LightningEdge Ethernet access network technology, enables delivery of simultaneous telephony, business and entertainment video, broadband data, and Internet access services, to any combination of business and residential subscribers,
using Ethernet over fiber and copper medium. By bringing together the limitless bandwidth capabilities of a fiber infrastructure with the affordability and proven performance of Ethernet, these networks eliminate the constant bandwidth challenges now facing network operators. World Wide Packets is a privately held corporation, and a recognized pioneer of Ethernet geographic network solutions.