Earlier this year, Qwest Communications (NYSE: Q) asked small-business owners what they thought about the IT and communication services they use and heard the same answer again and again: “It’s complicated.”

With its new Core Connect solution, Qwest is confronting the complexity that small businesses face with their IT. Core Connect offers a simple, single solution that delivers essential small-business technology, including high-speed Internet, phone, business e-mail and a business Web site.

“We went beyond surveys or focus groups – we followed small-business owners through their workdays and were struck by the time wasted on figuring out technology,” said Stephanie Copeland, vice president of Qwest Small Business. “This made it clear that a simple solution like Core Connect is needed. Now small-business owners can focus on running their businesses – not untangling network options.”

To inform the development of Qwest Core Connect, Qwest captured ethnographic observations and interviews with small- and medium-sized businesses in Qwest markets, which indicated that for most small businesses, the perceived complexity of even the most basic IT services is a source of deep confusion and frustration.

Small businesses – from a one-person shop to a business with several locations – can subscribe to Qwest Core Connect for the promotional rate of $69.99 a month for six months with a new 2- or 3-year commitment. The regular rate after the sixth month will vary by commitment terms and high-speed Internet speed tier selected. Services and terms vary by state, and this promotion is not available in Montana and New Mexico.

The Qwest Core Connect Solution includes:

• Phone service with up to 15 calling features
• Unlimited local and nationwide long-distance calls
• Several choices of high-speed Internet connection speeds up to 20 Mbps (12 Mbps and 20 Mbps speed tiers are available only in select areas)
• 5GB of Web hosting storage
• Access to Web design templates
• Up to a 10-page Web site, including search engine optimization (SEO)
• Custom e-mail that employees can access from anywhere they have Internet access
• Domain name and registration with Microsoft® Exchange e-mail activation
• 24/7 technical support

Qwest also redesigned its small-business Web site with a simplified interface, and now features a convenient way to talk to Qwest: The “click-to-call” feature enables Qwest’s current small-business customers to enter their phone number and request a call back from a Qwest customer service representative or sales person.

SUPPORTING RESOURCES

• For more information on Qwest Small Business offerings, including Qwest Core Connect, visit www.qwest.com/smallbusiness

About Qwest

Customers coast-to-coast turn to Qwest's industry-leading national fiber-optic network and world-class customer service to meet their communications and entertainment needs. For residential customers, Qwest offers a new generation of fiber-optic-fast Internet service, high-speed Internet solutions, as well as digital home phone, wireless service available through Verizon Wireless and DIRECTV® services. Qwest is also the choice of 95 percent of Fortune 500 companies, offering a full suite of network, data and voice services for small businesses, large businesses, government agencies and wholesale customers. Additionally, Qwest participates in Networx, the largest communications services contract in the world, and is recognized as a leader in the network services market by a leading technology industry analyst firm.

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