BellSouth Deploys DSL in GeorgiaBellSouth Deploys DSL in Georgia

BellSouth plans to expand high-speed DSL services to cover all Georgia switching offices

June 11, 2003

3 Min Read

ATLANTA -- BellSouth (NYSE: BLS) today announced that it will be deploying high-speed DSL service to an additional 19 switching offices throughout rural Georgia, resulting in 100 percent of its Georgia central offices being DSL capable. This deployment, coupled with those made during the last three years, means that over 100 communities across the state now have access to these high-speed services. The effort is a part of an initiative announced by BellSouth and the State of Georgia in May of 2000 to speed development of a broadband infrastructure throughout Georgia.

The communities covered by this deployment include: Arlington, Concord, Cusseta, Gay, Gibson, Grantville, Hamilton, Johnson's Corner, Kingston, Leary, Lumber City, Lumpkin, Luthersville, Newton, Richland, Sardis, Smithville, Wadley, and Woodbury.

The local deployment is part of the company's rollout plan that builds on BellSouth's commitment to assure high-speed access to hundreds of thousands of Georgians in all parts of the state.

"BellSouth's deployment of DSL in these additional rural communities will give more people access to technology that allows them to take greater advantage of the Internet, including faster downloads, real-time interactive multimedia and video-on-demand" said Phil Jacobs, President of BellSouth's Georgia Operations. "In addition, the availability of these high-speed services and the deployment of the advanced networks can play a key role in assisting in improvement of education and in furthering economic development across the state," Jacobs continued.

BellSouth based its decision to deploy broadband capabilities to all its Georgia switching offices on the favorable business environment established by the State of Georgia.

BellSouth(R) FastAccess(R) DSL service is BellSouth's high speed Internet access service that uses DSL and works at speeds up to 50 times faster than a 28.8k dial-up modem. Large data files such as audio files, research documents; product literature and patient records can be downloaded or transferred in seconds rather than minutes. Consumers can make travel reservations online, and small businesses can conduct electronic sales via the Internet in seconds. Also, users can talk on the phone and surf the Internet at the same time, on the same phone line at maximum download speeds of up to 1.5 Mbps and maximum upload speeds of up to 256 Kbps.

The initiative is being funded by BellSouth's capital investment program and through tax incentives granted under provisions of the Business Expansion and Support Tax (BEST) and the Ports Tax Credit. The Georgia General Assembly established this initiative to encourage capital investment and continued economic development in all parts of the state. Investment in the plan will be in the tens of millions of dollars annually.

"We appreciate the foresight of the General Assembly and other political leaders in establishing this program," noted Jacobs. "We believe that this statewide deployment is one of the widest of any state in the nation and are convinced that working with the state will result in positive benefits to all Georgia citizens."

BellSouth Corp.

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