ORLANDO, Fla. -- EPIK Communications(SM) Incorporated (EPIK), the telecommunications subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries, Inc. (NYSE:FLA) (NYSE:FLA.b) (FECI), today announced that its 1,850-mile long-haul fiber optic network in the Southeast is completely lit. This Southeast network covers approximately 78 percent of Florida's population and 56 percent of Georgia's population, according to figures from the 2000 Census. EPIK's geo-diverse, DWDM (dense wave division multiplexing) based fiber optic network provides fully redundant, ring protected SONET services, wavelength services up to 10 Gigabit, and a suite of enlightened IP(SM) services on its IP-on-Wave OC-192c backbone. The network connects 11 major cities in the Southeast, including Atlanta, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville. The last portion of the long-haul network -- a 350-mile route from Jacksonville to Atlanta -- was just completed, demonstrating EPIK's ability to execute on the network build strategy announced when it was founded in May 1999. EPIK's Southeast network assets include long-haul and metro routes, collocation facilities offering carrier-grade space, and express rings connecting major international cable landings in South Florida. EPIK is also developing a national dark fiber footprint via strategic fiber swaps. "From the start, EPIK committed to creating a robust, high-performance fiber backbone by leveraging 350 miles of railroad right-of-way," said EPIK President John McClellan. "This route completes the third ring of EPIK's geographically diverse network, which provides the highest levels of redundancy and service quality for our optical and enlightened IP services."EPIK Communications Inc.