PAETEC Boosts IP Data Network to Allow QoS Capabilities

Business Wire, August 2, 2004

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Imagine needing a contract shipped overnight and it was treated the same as a box of staples not expected until next week. Would you be satisfied with how your packages were prioritized? PAETEC Communications Inc., a communications solutions provider serving 27 markets nationwide, announces the addition of Quality of Service (QoS) as a customer-enabled prioritization enhancement to its Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) private network.

On most traditional private data networks, information is placed in packets that are all treated equally - regardless of the urgency of the content. Using QoS, a customer can designate levels of priority for their traffic over PAETEC's MPLS network, so time-sensitive traffic passes through the network first. While prioritization means everything to the quality of a videoconference or a voice call over IP, the end user will not notice the potential millisecond delay in sending or receiving an e-mail message.

"MPLS was a giant leap into the convergence of voice and data networks. Now the enhancement of our Quality of Service completely revolutionizes how a network may be used," says Jack Baron, chief marketing officer. "Real-time applications such as voice or video over an IP network weren't thinkable before, but can now be easily implemented, providing our customers unprecedented productivity, efficiency and cost savings."

Quality of Service is the latest benefit to PAETEC's industry-leading, SECURETEC MPLS-based IP network, adding to telecom's lowest latency (delay), highest packet delivery percentage, and most stringent Service Level Agreements.

About PAETEC

PAETEC Communications Inc., a subsidiary of PAETEC Corp., is a communications solutions provider offering broadband services, including advanced voice and video, enhanced data and communications management services to medium-sized and large businesses, colleges and universities, hospitals, hotels, governmental organizations and associations. The company boasts one of the highest customer retention rates in the industry, and recently achieved the number two ranking on the acclaimed Deloitte Fast 500 list of fastest growing technology companies in North America.

Headquartered in Fairport, N.Y., PAETEC serves customers in 27 U.S. markets, including: Albany, Baltimore, Boca Raton, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Connecticut, Delaware, Fort Lauderdale, Long Island, Los Angeles, Miami, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York City, Orlando, Orange County, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Poughkeepsie, Rhode Island, Rochester, San Diego, Northern Virginia, Syracuse, Washington D.C., and Western Massachusetts.

For more information, visit the PAETEC website at www.paetec.com.