Great Hill Partners

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5.22.2000
Edge Connections 'Lights' 31 Buildings In 30 Days With High Speed Dsl-Based Broadband Services During Atlanta Launch

ATLANTA -- Edge Connections, Inc., the first full-service broadband communications provider to offer affordable and reliable Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)-based services, today announced that it has "lit" 31 buildings with DSL in metro Atlanta since launching in this area last month. Buildings now enjoying broadband Internet access and other services include the 10-story 100 Edgewood building on Edgewood Avenue in Atlanta's central business district. Edge Connections also has lit buildings in Atlanta's midtown, Buckhead, and the central and northwestern perimeter areas. The Company targeted these buildings to service business tenants -- a cross-section of small and medium-sized organizations, including professional services, banking, finance, e-commerce, and technology companies -- that up to now have been under-served as Edge competitors have focused on large corporations and conglomerates.

Edge Connections President and CEO Jim McKenna noted, "We're pleased to announce that we surpassed our goal for the Atlanta launch. One month ago, we promised to light 30 buildings in 30 days, and we've actually done 31. Our rapid deployment DSL technology gets buildings on line far faster and less expensively than any other broadband technology, and at a fraction of the cost."

When traditional broadband providers "light" buildings, they typically perform costly reconstruction of the riser to refit the buildings with fiber optic or Ethernet cable. This process can take months to complete, compared to Edge Connections' deployment at 100 Edgewood, which took only 4 and one-half hours. The average installation time throughout Atlanta was a remarkable 3 to 3 and one-half hours. This is possible because Edge Connections installs DSL equipment in each multi-tenant office building, transforming that building's existing telephone wiring into a broadband network capable of running at speeds of up to 6 MBPS, five times faster than a costly T1 line -- with absolutely no reconstruction of the building riser.

"Our small-footprint DSL equipment is only about the size of a laptop computer, so there is virtually no invasive use of building space to accommodate Edge Connections DSL," McKenna explained. "We are pleased to announce our immediate success in our headquarters city, and look forward to similar success in both New York and Boston, which will be operational as they go 'live' in the month of June."

About Edge Connections Headquartered in Atlanta, Edge Connections transforms the ordinary copper telephone wire found in multi-tenant properties into a broadband network through the use of Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology. By pushing broadband intelligence and technology to the network edge, closer to the business user, the Company delivers the market's only 100 percent qualified, guaranteed business-class DSL - the DSL solution businesses can get even when it is unavailable from other sources, such as Central Office-based DSL vendors. Edge Connections delivers a full suite of broadband services to small and medium sized business, including high-speed Internet, voice, video, data and e-business services. These services help companies to unlock the potential of their business via leading-edge technology and multi-tiered solutions tailored to individual business needs. The Company also targets multi-tenant residential and Enterprise customers. Edge Connections has created the only network architected from day one to handle sensitive voice traffic with guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS), and requires no large investment in building riser construction. Edge Connections is a facilities-based broadband provider, founded by Jim McKenna in 1999. It is funded by leading venture capital firm Great Hill Partners and the Megunticook Fund. For more information contact Edge Connections, Inc., (877) 796-EDGE or visit www.edgeconnections.com.