Lightower Announces Major Expansions of Fiber Network in Central and Northern New Jersey

BOXBOROUGH, MA--(Marketwire - May 7, 2012) - Lightower Fiber Networks, the premier metro fiber and bandwidth provider in the Northeast, announced today several major expansions of its industry-leading all-fiber network in Central and Northern New Jersey. In total, Lightower is adding over 100 route miles of new fiber network throughout the counties of Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Morris, Middlesex, and Mercer.

Lightower's New Jersey network expansion program is in direct response to the surging demand for fiber-based networking solutions from Garden State financial institutions, enterprises, educational institutions, and government agencies. The additional network will bring the Lightower Network to the doorstep of more New Jersey customers and allow them to connect to other locations throughout the Lightower footprint, including commercial buildings, data centers, telco hotels, and other critical interconnection facilities. Customers have immediate access to Lightower's complete suite of end-to-end fiber networking solutions including Ethernet, wavelengths, dark fiber, Internet access, video transport, private networks, and SONET.

"Lightower is aggressively building in New Jersey as we continue to see surging demand for our fiber-based networking solutions," said Rob Shanahan, CEO of Lightower. "This expansion will benefit New Jersey's large market of financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, other enterprises, government agencies, and educational institutions; enabling them to connect throughout the entire Lightower footprint as well as nationwide on our long-haul network. Lightower's network now reaches from New Hampshire and Albany in the north, to Princeton, New Jersey in the south, and everywhere in between."

Financial services firms in particular will benefit from Lightower's expansion in New Jersey as the company continues to build its fiber network into a growing list of critical financial exchanges and data centers in the area, including Carteret and Piscataway.

Additional details on the expansion routes include:

• Bergen County: new 27-mile loop through Paterson, Totowa, and Wayne
• Hudson Country: new 18-mile route from Secaucus to Bergen
• Essex & Morris Counties: new 12-mile loop through Madison, Morristown, and Livingston
• Middlesex County: new 25-mile route through Carteret, Avenel, Iselin, Metuchen, Edison, and Piscataway
• Middlesex & Mercer Counties: new 22-mile route through Highland Park, New Brunswick, and Princeton

Lightower's complete suite of all-fiber solutions is available to customers in these expansion areas. Lightower solutions offered to customers include:

• Ethernet service from 10 Mbps to 100 Gbps
• Wavelength service from 1 Gbps to 100 Gbps
• Dedicated Internet access
• Dark fiber
• Ultra-low latency solutions
• Video transport solutions
• Private network solutions
• Wireless backhaul solutions
• Access to the all 2,800+ Lightower service locations throughout the Northeast including commercial buildings, data centers, financial exchanges, telco hotels, and other critical interconnection facilities
• Custom designed building access, tower access, and facility access
• Diverse routing and diverse entrance options may be available

Lightower has rapidly expanded in the New Jersey and New York City area over the past several years. Early in 2011, Lightower completed the acquisition of Long Island-based Open Access Inc. Late in 2010, Lightower completed the acquisition of New York City-based Lexent Metro Connect. In February of 2012, the company opened a new office in Roseland, New Jersey, less than a year after opening a new office in the heart of Manhattan. In addition, Lightower announced the completion of a new network route across the Hudson River that bypasses the now under-construction Tappan Zee Bridge.

Click the following link to see a map of the all-fiber Lightower Network.

About Lightower Fiber Networks
Lightower Fiber Networks is the premier metro fiber and bandwidth provider in the Northeast, offering over 6,400 fiber route miles coupled with comprehensive transport, alternative access, and nationwide long haul services. Lightower's fiber footprint covers New England, eastern New York State, New Jersey, Long Island, and New York City. With access to over 2,800 service locations, Lightower offers unparalleled regional density, performance, scalability, security, and reliability in the Northeast. Lightower Fiber is headquartered in Boxborough, MA. For more information, visit www.lightower.com or call 888-LT-FIBER.