Thing5 is leveraging Verizon Business' industry-leading VoIP and hosting services to offer voice and messaging services for hotel employees and guests. Under an agreement with Verizon Business, Thing5 is providing its hosted platform via a software-as-a-service model to approximately 1,300 hotels, covering more than 275,000 phones. Hospitality chains such as Extended Stay Hotels, La Quinta and the luxury boutique hotel collection LXR Luxury Resorts & Hotels outsource the provisioning, management and maintenance of voice and messaging platforms that serve corporate end-users and guests at each individual property.

With the SaaS model, applications such as voice mail, automatic call distribution, audio conferencing, faxing and instant messaging are hosted by a vendor rather than the customer, and delivered as managed IP services over the Web, helping to control setup and operational costs. Customers pay for the computing resources utilized, making the model highly attractive to the hospitality industry.

Verizon Business is expanding its use of technology to help U.S. military personnel based in Iraq stay in touch with their families at home. The company, for the fifth consecutive year, is providing free calling for Iraq-based troops May 8-14 in honor of Mother's Day; June 12-18 for Father's Day; and July 2-8 for Independence Day. The calls home are made possible through a state-of-the-art Verizon Business mobile communications vehicle currently deployed in Iraq.

Face-to-Face Reunions

Verizon Business also is teaming with Cisco, Wal-Mart and the USO to provide free video connections between two bases in Iraq and two Wal-Mart stores. Verizon Business is providing the Internet protocol connections for Cisco's lifelike immersive video technology, known as Cisco TelePresence. Special Cisco TelePresence rooms are available at Wal-Mart stores located near Camp Pendleton, Calif., and Fort Drum, N.Y., between April 2 and July 6.

American consumers have a wide array of choices for personal communication services, but, when it comes to their home, an overwhelming majority -- including those who have a cell phone -- say they plan to keep and continue using their landline home phone indefinitely. Most often the service's proven reliability and safety were given as reasons in a new nationwide survey commissioned by Verizon.

The telephone survey, conducted by KRC Research last month, polled more than 800 consumers aged 18 and over who pay their landline phone bill. It found that:

• Eighty-three percent of the respondents intend to continue using their landline home phone indefinitely -- a strong vote of consumer confidence for landline voice service in a survey group that included a large number of participants who also have a cell phone (74 percent).
• Ninety-four percent of the respondents cited reliability and 91 percent cited safety as the key factors for retaining landline service.
• Seventy-six percent of landline phone owners use their landline phone every day.

Aastra announced that Verizon Business has certified Aastra’s award-winning line of 5xi SIP telephones based on the Session Initiation Protocol for use with its Hosted IP Centrex service offering. Adding Aastra’s SIP phones to Verizon Business’s portfolio of VoIP Customer Premises Equipment provides new and existing Verizon Business customers with greater flexibility and choice.

All of Aastra’s open standard SIP telephones underwent stringent lab testing required by Verizon Business to meet the high performance and reliability standards for products certified for its Hosted IP Centrex platform.

Pasadena City College students and faculty will be able to tap the power of converged VoIP communications and wireless Internet access under a two-year, $6.7 million agreement. Under the contract with the Pasadena Area Community College District, Verizon Business will install and manage a new campuswide network that will support the current and future needs of about 30,000 students and faculty. The pact also includes deployment of a premises-based VoIP platform, as well as on-site technical support, and managed and professional services. Additionally, Verizon Business will provide the student population with Wi-Fi access throughout the campus, which covers 53 acres and 30 buildings. Installation of the new converged IP network is under way.

Doing its part to help spread the love on Valentine's Day, Verizon Business is again providing free phone calls for U.S. Armed Forces personnel stationed in Iraq. The calls home are made possible through a state-of-the-art Verizon Business mobile communications vehicle currently deployed to Iraq. Verizon Business will make the facility available to military personnel on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, and during the entire week -- from Feb. 12 through 18.

"For our troops serving in Iraq, hearing the voice of a loved one on special days can go a long way to lift the spirits," said Susan Zeleniak, group president, Verizon Federal. "Verizon Business has made it a tradition to help the troops stay connected with their families and friends in appreciation for the sacrifices they make every day."

Verizon Business, as a leading communications provider to the federal government, makes technology, resources and employee support available throughout the year to military personnel and their families around the world.

Verizon Business is expanding its already extensive portfolio of managed network services that simplify the transition to Internet protocol communications.

Verizon Business now offers Managed IP PBX on the Nortel IP telephony platform, combining the reliability, flexibility and simplicity of Nortel's portfolio with Verizon Business' end-to-end network management, PBX expertise and advanced monitoring systems. This new managed IP PBX offering provides large-business and government customers another strong option for smoothly moving to an advanced and integrated IP-based communications system by simply adding a new server and updated software. The offering will be available to U.S.-based large-business and government customers next month.

In June 2006, Verizon brought a lawsuit against Vonage to enforce several Verizon patents relating to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services.

In March 2007, a jury held that Vonage is infringing three valid Verizon patents. The jury awarded $58 million in damages. The trial judge subsequently issued an injunction which was stayed pending Vonage's appeal.

In September 2007, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the trial court's decisions on infringement, validity, and injunction as to two of the Verizon patents (the '574 and '711) and remanded as to the third patent (the '880). Vonage filed a petition for rehearing which is pending in the Court of Appeals.

Today the parties have agreed to resolve the patent lawsuit. The terms of the resolution depend on how the Court of Appeals decides Vonage's pending petition for rehearing regarding two of the Verizon patents (the '574 and '711). If Vonage wins rehearing on either the '574 or '711 patent or if the injunction is vacated as to the '574 or '711 patent, Vonage will pay Verizon $80 million. If Vonage does not win rehearing on either the '574 or '711 patent, or if the stay is lifted reinstating the injunction, Vonage will pay Verizon $117.5 million.

The parties are pleased to have resolved this matter.

Verizon received high marks from its customers to secure the spot as top wholesale VoIP provider, reflected in research by ATLANTIC-ACM, a leading telecommunications research consultancy and benchmarking firm. The company earned the top ranking in the Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier category of the Best in Class Wholesale Metro products. The announcement was made Monday (Oct. 8) at the CompTel PLUS Fall 2007 Convention and EXPO in Grapevine, where ATLANTIC-ACM announced its 2007 Global Wholesale Carrier Excellence Awards.

The best in landline calling and wireless services are now combined for customers who choose the newest calling plan from Verizon. Beginning today, customers within Verizon's landline service area can bundle home and wireless calling in a simple package and get cool calling features and unlimited calling between their home and their Verizon Wireless phone - all on a single bill at prices starting at $59.99 a month.

Verizon Business is once again enhancing its already industry-leading suite of service level agreements for Private IP customers by extending its performance commitments for real-time applications, including VoIP and video, beyond the edge of Verizon Business' network all the way to customers' physical locations. Specifically, the company will offer extended jitter, packet delay and packet delivery ratio SLAs to the customer edge, including local access lines.

The new Customer Edge SLAs apply to U.S. and international locations and are available at no additional cost to U.S.-based managed or customer-managed Private IP customers, with availability planned for all Private IP customers by year-end. Verizon Business offers a credit of 20 percent of a customer's monthly recurring charges if any Customer Edge SLA is not met.

Wholesale customers who use Verizon Business SIP Gateway Service will be able to order service more quickly and efficiently, starting next month. Verizon Business is adding a series of eBonding and Web-based enhancements to the service, enabling customers to easily place, modify and check on their orders. SIP, or Session Initiation Protocol, is an Internet-based signaling protocol used for creating, modifying and terminating sessions between two or more users on the Internet.

Consumers searching online at http://maps.live.com for businesses such as area restaurants, hotels or car dealerships can now conveniently click to make free PC-to-phone calls to many advertisers, using the power of the Verizon Business IP network.

Windows Live Call for Free from Microsoft uses Verizon Business' advanced VoIP capabilities and expansive global network to give consumers an easy-to-use, convenient and no-cost way to find services they need.

"We continue to deliver on the promise of our strategic alliance with Microsoft by developing and delivering next-generation services," said Nancy Gofus, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Business. "This new service, which adds value for Microsoft advertising partners while enhancing the Live Search experience, is the latest in a long string of innovations that Verizon and Microsoft have brought to market since entering into a global strategic relationship in May 2004."

In an ongoing effort to help military families and loved ones stay connected around the world, Verizon Business is providing free phone calls during the weeks around Mother's Day, Father's Day and U.S. Independence Day for U.S. military personnel stationed in Iraq.

Verizon Business will provide the free calls from May 10-16 in honor of Mother's Day in the United States; June 14-20 for Father's Day in the United States; and July 1-7 for U.S. Independence Day.

Verizon Business has deployed to Iraq a state-of-the-art mobile communications facility, enabling military personnel to make calls 24-hours-a-day anywhere in the world.

Vonage reaffirmed its confidence in prevailing on appeal and in continuing to meet the needs and expectations of its over 2.2 million subscriber lines despite a ruling March 23 in Verizon's favor and a disproportionately-negative reaction from the market.

"To paraphrase Mark Twain, the rumors of Vonage's death have been greatly exaggerated," said Mike Snyder, Vonage's chief executive officer. "Friday's events represented one small step in what is sure to be a long legal battle.

"The fact is we've been preparing for this verdict and the possibility of an injunction for months," Snyder added. "For the market to react the way it did to the recent rulings shows an unfortunate lack of understanding of the judicial/appellate system, a lack of appreciation of Vonage's resourcefulness, or, perhaps, both. Anyone who's counting Vonage out is making a huge mistake."