- BellSouth Differentiated from Competitors with Internationally Recognized
Certifications and Rankings from Metro Ethernet Forum, International
Organization for Standardization and J.D. Power and Associates -
ATLANTA, May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- BellSouth (NYSE: BLS) announced today
that the company has received internationally recognized certifications and
superior rankings for its service excellence in business markets. These
certifications and rankings are associated with the Metro Ethernet Forum,
the International Organization for Standardization and J.D. Power and
Associates.
"The recent awards and certifications place BellSouth within an elite
group of service providers, and help maintain the company's position as an
industry leader in the business market," said Dick Anderson, vice chairman
and president - Business Markets, BellSouth.
BellSouth Ethernet Service certified by Metro Ethernet Forum
BellSouth is one of only seven service providers in the world to
receive Metro Ethernet Forum Service Provider Certification for its Metro
Ethernet Service, a high-speed fiber optic network service.
The Metro Ethernet Forum is an industry interest group made up of both
network equipment manufacturers and service providers. The Metro Ethernet
Forum is influential in establishing service standards for Ethernet and
providing guidance for future development of the product around the world.
The Carrier Ethernet Certification Program, put together by the Metro
Ethernet Forum's technical committees and launched in 2005, incorporates
nine Metro Ethernet Forum Carrier Ethernet standards across five groups of
carrier-class attributes, including scalability, protection, quality of
service, TDM support and services management.
Metro Ethernet Forum certification provides customers with additional
assurances that BellSouth Ethernet services conforms to high industry
standards. BellSouth expects customers to soon demand that service
providers carry the Metro Ethernet Forum certification and the company has
already differentiated itself with its recent recognition. BellSouth has
266 Ethernet switches and 5.2 million miles of fiber in its regional
network and is currently one of the top three Ethernet service providers in
the U.S., based on market share data.
BellSouth Communication Systems earns ISO 9001:2000 certification
BellSouth Communication Systems recently attained IS0 9001:2000
certification. As the customer premise equipment arm for BellSouth Business
Markets, BellSouth Communication Systems provides equipment installation,
maintenance, upgrades and managed services to BellSouth business customers.
For BellSouth business customers, achieving ISO 9001:2000 certification is
unbiased proof of the team's unyielding commitment to quality and service
excellence.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), formed in
1947, is the world's largest developer of standards. Since then, ISO has
developed more than 15,000 International Standards. The ISO 9000 family of
standards, one of the most widely recognized standards internationally,
focuses on quality requirements for business-to-business dealings.
Achieving certification puts an internationally recognized framework of
standards around BellSouth's management processes and service delivery. The
scope of certification applies to procurement, installation, management and
maintenance of communication systems for commercial customers.
BellSouth Earns Top Honors in J.D. Power and Associates Business Local
and
Long Distance Telephone Service Satisfaction
BellSouth ranks highest in satisfying business customers with both
local and long distance telephone service, according to the J.D. Power and
Associates 2006 Major Provider Business Telecommunications Voice Services
Study(SM) released last month.
The J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Major Provider Business
Telecommunications Voice Services Study measures satisfaction among small,
mid-size and large business customers in the U.S. with both local and long
distance telephone service providers. Overall satisfaction is measured
using seven factors: performance and reliability; billing; sales
representatives/account executives; company image; cost of service;
offerings and promotions; and customer service.
BellSouth ranks highest in overall satisfaction among both local
service providers and long distance service providers. The company led all
local service providers in six of the seven factors: customer service;
billing; performance and reliability; sales representatives/account
executives; company image; and offerings and promotions. BellSouth led all
long distance service providers in five of the seven factors: billing;
performance and reliability; sales representatives/account executives;
company image; and offerings and promotions.
"BellSouth's record of recent recognition in the business space
validates the company's focus on developing solutions that meet the complex
and changing needs of customers," said Mark Winther, group vice president
and general manager - Worldwide Telecommunications, IDC.
For more information about BellSouth voice and data solutions for large
business customers, visit http://www.bellsouthlargebusiness.com.
About BellSouth Corporation
BellSouth Corporation is a Fortune 500 communications company
headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth has joint control and 40
percent ownership of Cingular Wireless, the nation's largest wireless voice
and data provider with 55.8 million customers.
Backed by award-winning customer service, BellSouth offers the most
comprehensive and innovative package of voice and data services available
in the market. Through BellSouth Answers(R), residential and small business
customers can bundle their local and long distance service with dial-up and
high-speed DSL Internet access, satellite television and Cingular(R)
Wireless service. For businesses, BellSouth provides secure, reliable local
and long distance voice and data networking solutions. BellSouth also
offers print and online directory advertising through The Real Yellow
Pages(R) and YELLOWPAGES.COM(TM) from BellSouth.
BellSouth believes that diversity and fostering an inclusive
environment are critical in maintaining a competitive advantage in today's
global marketplace. More information about BellSouth can be found at
http://www.bellsouth.com.
SOURCE BellSouth
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Related links:
http://www.bellsouth.com
http://www.bellsouthlargebusiness.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/095650.html /
CONTACT:
Todd Smith of BellSouth Corporation,
+1-404-226-8918, toddcsmith@imcingular.com
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