Charter Business Long-Haul Ethernet Extends Customers' Reach

ST. LOUIS, June 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Charter Business, a division of Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR), today announced the deployment of its long-haul Ethernet service, the latest enhancement to Charter Business Optical Ethernet service. The long-haul service extends the reach of Optical Ethernet service beyond a metro area, allowing enterprise and carrier customers to seamlessly connect multiple business locations within Charter's network footprint, regardless of distance. The launch of Layer 3 VPN (Virtual Private Network) service also provides a new Wide Area Network (WAN) option for commercial customers that prefer the additional flexibility and scalability of a layer 3 private network.

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Charter Business is among the first cable operators in the country to offer customers long-haul, high-capacity Ethernet transport across its nationwide Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network. Charter's national backbone currently transports more than 300 Gbps of traffic and will now leverage that capability to extend the reach of commercial services.

"Charter Business has provided customers carrier-class Ethernet services for a number of years, and we're pleased to offer Layer 3 VPN as another networking option," said Scott Fairchild, Product Management Director. "Charter Business long-haul service is an exciting development for our customers. It enables medium-size to large companies with multiple sites to seamlessly integrate their networks into a single WAN, via either at Layer 2 or Layer 3."  

Companies doing business in smaller communities or businesses with branch offices outside urban areas often have limited options to acquire service from a single provider that connects all locations. Interconnection in these cases sometimes consists of a mix of smaller providers, and this implies higher pricing. Charter's Ethernet services provide companies like this in its footprint a more cost-efficient option.

"Charter Business serves hundreds of small communities across our footprint, and our powerful network enables enterprise customers in these locations to harness the power of our fiber network, providing carrier-grade, high-capacity service to towns that others can't reach," said Fairchild. "Customers want a reliable, scalable and reasonably priced multisite network service available to their locations that is flexible enough to adapt to rapidly changing needs. They've realized Charter Business is a solid partner that can meet those needs."

About Charter Business

Charter Business, a division of Charter Communications, Inc,  provides business organizations with scalable, tailored, and cost-effective broadband communications solutions, including business-to-business Internet access, data networking, business phone, TV and music entertainment services and wireless backhaul. Catering to the unique broadband needs of business customers, Charter Business offers competitively priced bundled products over its state-of-the-art, fiber-based network, helping businesses in a variety of industries maximize efficiency while continuing to grow. Charter Business is Metro Ethernet Forum Certified. More information about Charter Business can be found at charter-business.com.

About Charter

Charter (NASDAQ: CHTR) is a leading broadband communications company and the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States. Charter provides a full range of advanced broadband services, including advanced Charter TV® video entertainment programming, Charter Internet® access, and Charter Phone®. Charter Business® similarly provides scalable, tailored, and cost-effective broadband communications solutions to business organizations, such as business-to-business Internet access, data networking, business telephone, video and music entertainment services, and wireless backhaul. Charter's advertising sales and production services are sold under the Charter Media® brand. More information about Charter can be found at charter.com.

SOURCE Charter Communications, Inc.