March 5, 2002 -- Williams Communications (NYSE: WCG), a provider of broadband services for bandwidth-centric customers, announced the launch of its IP virtual private network (IP VPN) service.

According to the company, its IP VPN service combines the global reach and flexibility of the Internet and the security and reliability of private networks to cost-efficiently deliver quality IP performance with specific classes of service and industry-leading service level agreements. Utilizing the most advanced technological solutions to provide maximum security, Williams Communications' IP VPN service seamlessly connects customers to their corporate headquarters, branch offices, remote users and business partners -- all in a secure, highly-scalable environment.

With this new IP VPN service, customers around the world should be able to select the class of service that best supports the mix of applications they use, then view their IP VPN data delivery performance by using Williams Communications' VPN InView web-based monitoring and reporting tool. Based on technology acquired from CoreExpress, VPN InView should allow customers to view the performance of their VPN data in real time. This should give customers the assurance of network control, quick resolution of network-related problems, and measurement of site-to-site performance to all end-user locations.

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