Qwest Communications to Upgrade Utah Statewide Education Network

Under the contract, Qwest will deliver end-to-end communications services in Utah that encourages the delivery of voice, video and data services to more people and organizations throughout the state. The UEN core network will be

based on Qwest’s GeoMax service, a high-speed, high-capacity networking solution capable of delivering bandwidth-intensive, multimedia Internet-based applications, such as distance learning.

“From Logan to St. George, teachers are taking advantage of the capabilities UEN affords. For example, a teacher in Logan uses UEN to teach

Russian to students all over the state,” said Michael Petersen, executive director of UEN. “And UEN allows high-school students throughout Utah to take advanced classes that count towards both high school and college diplomas.”

“Qwest is pleased to see how people throughout Utah are leveraging the power of UEN,” said Cliff Holtz, executive vice president for Qwest’s business markets group. “This network upgrade will allow teachers in any part of the

state to implement programs that far exceed the walls of the classroom.”

UEN provides citizens throughout Utah with access to the highest quality, most effective instructional experiences and educational administrative support services, and provides greater efficiency in achieving statewide educational objectives. UEN links schools and libraries to world-wide information networks, as well as other government entities.

In addition to UEN, Qwest also has contracts to provide high-speed Internet access to K-12 schools throughout Colorado, Kentucky, New Mexico,

Ohio, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming.