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February 11, 1997 CONTACT: Mark Marchand, 518-396-1080 or Bob Varettoni, 212-395-0500 NYNEX Ends 1996 With Dramatically Improved Service Quality in New York NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 11, 1997--NYNEX completed 1996 with a dramatic increase in the quality of service in New York State, resulting from the company's aggressive improvement programs begun early in the year. State regulators are expected to review tomorrow results showing that in the fourth quarter of 1996 NYNEX showed year-over-year improvement in every one of the 16 New York State Public Service Commission standards that measure overall service quality and the company's ability to keep appointments and repair out-of-service phone lines within a day. And as part of a seven-year regulatory plan that went into effect in September 1995, NYNEX also guarantees that it will meet increasingly tougher service quality targets or pay rebates to customers. "We're moving the needle in the right direction," said NYNEX Chairman Ivan Seidenberg. "In 1996 the entire telecom industry experienced unexpected growth in demand. Because of that, we hit some bumps in the road in serving our customers in the first half of 1996. Now, we're meeting increased demand and, at the same time, improving service quality. "I am proud of our results today. In fact, our improvement trend continued with even better results this January. We can still do better, and our customers have our pledge that we will continue our investments to meet their expectations of the highest-quality service." Seidenberg cited several factors - including new jobs, increased investments and new initiatives - that have contributed to service improvement in New York. The company added more than 2,000 new service-related jobs in the state in 1996 to handle growth resulting in more than 600,000 new customer lines throughout the Northeast. During 1996, NYNEX shifted additional funds to its telephone network construction program in New York. The company invested last year some $1.3 billion on its central office and network capital investment program in New York. NYNEX-wide service initiatives begun in 1996 include: Customer Care Centers, offering one number, one contact, for trouble-shooting orders of new or additional services; Customer care programs for service technicians designed to increase accountability; Expansion of air pressurization systems designed to prevent moisture-related problems in underground cables; Updated technical training for field service personnel; New customer contact methods for NYNEX service representatives and new order-handling methods for speedier ISDN installations; and Expansion of redundant fiber systems, allowing instant rerouting of traffic. NYNEX is a global communications and media corporation that provides a full range of services in the northeastern United States and high-growth markets around the world, including the United Kingdom, Thailand, Gibraltar, Greece, Indonesia, the Philippines, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The corporation is a leader in telecommunications, wireless communications, directory publishing and video entertainment and information services. NYNEX is also managing sponsor of FLAG -- Fiberoptic Link Around the Globe -- the world's longest undersea fiber optic communications cable. FAX copies of recent NYNEX news releases are available free of charge, 24 hours a day. Call 1-800-331-1214 and an automated system will provide instructions. go to news archive