WVT Communications plans to expand business services to upstate New York

WARWICK - WVT Communications, formerly known as the Warwick Valley Telephone Company, is expanding its area of operations. On Wednesday, March 11, the company announced that its bid for the acquisition of the wholesale and hosted Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) assets of USA Datanet had been accepted in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of New York. Voice over Internet Protocol, commonly referred to by the acronym VoIP, is a technology that allows someone to make voice calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular or analog phone line. The opportunity was presented last October when USA Datanet, a provider of business telecommunications services with headquarters in Syracuse, and customers throughout the upstate New York region, filed for bankruptcy protection. The company had been delivering voice, data, conferencing and enhanced services to commercial, wholesale and residential customers using advanced Internet Protocol network technology. “We bid on the two lines of Datanet’s business that were profitable,” said Duane Albro, CEO of WVT Communications. “The company was using the same equipment and technology as our firm and their service area was contiguous to ours. We already offer business services up to Albany and this will extend that area to markets in Utica and Syracuse. “ Albro explained that the successful bid will take a few weeks for final approvals but it should be just in time to keep Datanet’s customers, most of whom operate small and medium-sized businesses in Central New York, from losing phone and Internet service. Warwick Valley Telephone Company (NASDAQ: WWVY), which does business as WVT Communications, is a full-service telecommunications company operating in the greater Hudson Valley region, currently offering franchised services in southern Orange County and portions of northwestern New Jersey and competitive services throughout the region. Through its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, it offers local, long distance, Internet and video services. Reflecting the company’s positive outlook for generation of long-term cash flow, the Board of Directors recently increased the ongoing quarterly Common Share cash dividend by 10 percent. The increase will be effective as of the first quarter of 2009.