Qwest Will Provide Federal Agencies With MTIPS

Qwest Government Services, a sector of Qwest Communications, will provide federal agencies with Managed Trusted Internet Protocol Services (MTIPS). The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) awarded Qwest for presenting federal agencies with secure connections to the public Internet.

To connect agencies to the Internet in full agreement with the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) initiative, GSA created MTIPS. This service decreases the number of Internet connections necessary in government systems, providing basic security to various government officials.

“Qwest has configured MTIPS as a network-based service to ensure consistent, up-to-date Internet security without forcing an agency to maintain Internet security hardware and software on its own,” stated Senior Vice President and General Manager of Qwest Government Services in Arlington, VA, Diana Gowen.

To ensure that agency traffic remains in a private, secure domain, Qwest Government Services utilizes a private Multiprotocol Label Switching transport infrastructure, also called a Network Based Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network. Qwest also uses these services for gateways hosted at its CyberCenters.

How does this process function? An array of security services is applied, as Internet traffic flows through the aforementioned gateways. This includes intrusion detection and prevention services, firewall policy enforcement, e-mail scanning, and anti-virus and anti-spam management.

According to Gowen, “MTIPS ensures the secure transit of inter-agency traffic even if the Internet becomes unavailable due to an attack.”

Networx, operated by the U.S. General Services Administration, provides the greatest collection of government contracts as it offers extensive technical solutions, in addition to communications and networking services to various federal agencies. Qwest has an agreement with both Networx Enterprise and Networx Universal, which are valued at approximately $20 billion over the course of the 10-year contract. Managed Trusted Internet Protocol Services is the 40th product offered with Qwest’s Networx Universal agreement.

Qwest Wins Excellence Award for Data Quality

Boston-based telecommunication research firm, Atlantic-ACM, has presented Qwest Communications with an award for providing top-quality data services. Atlantic-ACM surveyed more than 800 long-haul service customers before reaching conclusions. Atlantic-ACM’s 2009 Wholesale Carrier Excellence Awards provide a detailed account of the survey results.

Survey results indicate that Qwest Wholesale Markets provide the highest quality data solutions available. During last year’s 2008 Wholesale Excellence Awards, Qwest tied for first place in two categories: network performance and ability to satisfy service-level agreements. In addition, Qwest’s Business Markets Group led in billing and sales representative honors for the Atlantic-ACM 2008 Business Telecom Services Carrier Report Card.

"Qwest is aligned and focused on delivering a robust portfolio of data/IP and voice solutions to meet customer needs, and is honored to have been recognized by wholesale customers for the seventh consecutive survey by ATLANTIC-ACM,” stated Executive Vice President of Qwest Wholesale Markets, Roland Thornton.

Based on more than 800 wholesale consumer reviews, the Atlantic-ACM Wholesale Carrier Excellence awards evaluate the performance of various telecommunication carriers. Results of the 2009 Atlantic-ACM Wholesale Carrier Excellence Awards were revealed at the CompTel Plus Spring 2009 Conference and Expo, held at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center.

Results of the 2009 Wholesale Carrier Excellence Awards were as follows:

Qwest – Data Quality
AT&T – Brand, Network and Voice Quality
Sprint – Sales Representatives, Provisioning and Customer Service
Global Crossing – Billing and Provisioning
XO – Data Price
Level 3 – Voice Price

“Overall satisfaction with wholesale carriers is up in operations as well as product quality,” stated Fedor Smith, President of ATLANTIC-ACM. “Our trending indicates that, over time, segment leaders have become increasingly proficient at developing and deploying wholesale products, which is reflected in ratings by their customers.”

Qwest, More Than a Communications Company

With more than 40,000 individuals working to improve communities across the nation, Qwest is more than a communications company. Qwest employees value the towns and neighborhoods that they call home.

The Qwest Foundation has created a program that will donate $500 to nonprofit organizations where employees volunteer a minimum of 60 hours during a period of six-months. Qwest Pioneers is a volunteer organization, comprised of active and retired employees, dedicated to volunteering one million hours per year.

As the globe’s largest corporate volunteer organization, the Qwest Pioneers have been providing service for nearly 100 years. Comprised of approximately 620,000 individuals, Qwest Pioneers serve communities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa.

If you are interested in improving your community, meeting new people, or simply having fun- consider joining the Qwest Pioneers! The organization targets education, working with schools throughout the above-mentioned states, in hopes of improving the success of today’s youth.

Volunteering with the Qwest Pioneers is easy. There is no minimum amount of time required, and the organization will find events that fit into your busy schedule. Events are held on both weekdays and weekends- at various times throughout the day. The Qwest Pioneers also offer projects that may be completed from the comfort of your home, for the ultimate in flexibility.

Joining the Qwest Pioneers organization is not only good for your community, but it is also good for you! Volunteering is a great way to improve key leadership and management skills.

Not interested in volunteering, but still want to make a difference? You could make contributions to the Qwest Pioneers by paying membership dues. For more information, please visit www.qwestpioneers.com.

Detailed Report of Qwest's 2008 Full-Year Results

Last Tuesday Qwest Communications International Inc. reported its fourth quarter and full-year 2008 results. Here are some highlights from the fourth quarter:

Before income tax, income increased 17% year-over-year
Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) increased by 4%
Enterprise revenue increased, fueled by 9% year-over-year growth in data and IP
Video, Data and Internet revenue became 25% of mass market
Customer base grew 9% year-over-year
FTTN coverage available to 1.9 million prospective subscribers

Denver-based telecom company, Qwest Communications, revealed financial results for the full-year 2008, including the fourth quarter. During 2008’s fourth quarter, the company reported a net income of $185 million. Revenue was $3.3 billion during the fourth quarter, and the adjusted EBITDA was $1.18 billion. Qwest made solid improvements on critical initiatives, and further improved profitability. The company converted more than 180,000 subscribers from its mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) to its wireless partner Verizon.

"Our improved profitability in the fourth quarter reflects an intense focus by the entire team," stated Qwest Chairman and CEO, Edward A. Mueller. "Under challenging market conditions, we delivered strong performance across each of our business units. The execution that we demonstrated over the past couple of quarters will provide a solid foundation in the current difficult economic climate."

Qwest reported a net income of $681 for the full-year. The company reported operating revenue of $13.5 billion for 2008, and the annual adjusted free cash flow was $1.44 billion.

For the full-year 2009, the company expects the adjusted free cash flow will total upwards of $1.4 billion. Qwest anticipates that the adjusted EBITDA will be between $4.2 and $4.4 billion. Lastly, Qwest predicts that capital investments will be approximately $1.8 billion.

Qwest Performance Beats Wall Street Journal Expectation

Qwest Communication’s stock increased Tuesday, after the Denver-based telecom company posted better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings and cost-cutting strategies. Resulting from the weak economic state, Qwest eliminated 1,700 jobs during the fourth quarter. Investors reacted positively, leading to a 2.4% increase in stock prices. With a late-morning high of $3.64 per share, Qwest stock closed at $3.45 per share on Tuesday.

Meanwhile other telecom stocks, those of AT&T, Sprint Nextel and Verizon, slipped 5.1%, 11% and 4.4% respectively.

Quest, the main local carrier in 14 Western states, reported a third-quarter profit of $185 million, equivalent to 11 cents per share for 2008. On Tuesday, Qwest reported earnings of 11 cents per share during the fourth quarter as well. The company’s stock beat Wall Street Journal’s prediction by 1 cent per share, leading to the surge in stock prices.

The telecom company also posted a fourth-quarter revenue of $3.3 billion, beating analysts’ prediction of $3.31 billion.

"We were happy with our results -- we have been focused on profitable growth," The Qwest CEO, Ed Mueller, told TheStreet.com. "We're happy with our execution." Mueller attributed results to the company’s three core businesses. For example, Qwest’s Business Markets division experienced a margin of 37.5%, an increase from 150 basis points.

Qwest’s latest cost-cutting plan will prevent the addition of cash contributions to its pension plan for 2009. Seeking to offset consumer’s declining demand for landline telephone services, Qwest hopes to sell more data and Internet services.

Qwest stated it will maintain "a cautious view on its outlook" for 2009. The Denver-based telecom firm expects to generate from $1.4 billion to $1.5 billion in adjusted free cash flow. Depending on the health of the economy, capital spending is predicted to be $1.8 billion.