VITAL NETWORK SERVICES RENEWS SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Delivering Around-the-Clock Maintenance for the City's State-of-the-Art Automated Traffic Surveillance and Control System

TAMPA, Florida -- July 15, 2002 -- VITAL Network Services, Inc., a multi-vendor provider of worldwide network lifecycle services, today announced it has renewed its contract with the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) to maintain the network equipment supporting the City's Automated Traffic Surveillance and Control (ATSAC) System.

Per the terms of the agreement, VITAL will continue to maintain over 2700 communications devices at the core of the City's state-of-the-art ATSAC System primarily made up of Alcatel OC-3 rings and General Datacom TMS multiplexers. VITAL will provide support for the system with 24x7 maintenance including remote telephone support, 4-hour onsite response and parts replacement.

"In a city with over 4,300 signalized intersections and a population of approximately 3.5 million, the smooth operation of our ATSAC System is imperative," said Bob Blackmer, senior systems supervisor of Electronics and Communications for the LADOT. "We feel confident in VITAL's service capabilities. While maintaining our network over the last few years, VITAL has consistently demonstrated a high-quality of service supported by knowledgeable technicians."

"We are pleased that LADOT has chosen to continue using VITAL to maintain their mission-critical ATSAC System," said John Koehler, president and CEO of VITAL. "We strive to build relationships with our customers by providing reliable, world-class services for a wide-range of technologies and multiple vendors' equipment. At VITAL, we understand how important network availability is to our customers and we are looking forward to continuing our relationship with LADOT."

About the ATSAC System
ATSAC is a computer-based traffic signal control system implemented by the LADOT that monitors traffic conditions and system performance, selects appropriate signal timing (control) strategies, and performs equipment diagnostics and alert functions. Sensors in the street detect the passage of vehicles, vehicle speed, and the level of congestion throughout the City. This information is received on a second-by-second (real-time) basis and is analyzed on a minute-by-minute basis at the ATSAC Operations Center, located four floors below the street in the City Hall, to determine if better traffic flow can be achieved by changing the signal timing. If required, the signal timing is either automatically changed by the ATSAC computers or manually changed by the operator using communication lines that connect the ATSAC Center with each traffic signal. To supplement the information from electronic detectors, closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance equipment has been and continues to be installed at critical locations throughout the City. Since its implementation, the ATSAC System has improved traffic throughput by 24.2%.

About VITAL Network Services
VITAL Network Services, a global multi-vendor, multi-technology support provider, delivers world-class network support services to large enterprise customers, network equipment manufacturers, integrators, value-added resellers, distributors, and carriers around the world. VITAL's comprehensive portfolio of data, voice, and video network services helps customers realize the full value of their network by addressing all facets of the network lifecycle including network design and planning, integration, training, maintenance, and proactive monitoring. With its own technical staff and over 200 authorized service partners located throughout the world, VITAL provides on-site service in more than 60 countries across six continents.

VITAL provides round-the-clock support for over 2000 customers from its operations centers in Naugatuck, Connecticut and Wokingham, England. Corporate headquarters are located in Tampa, Florida with sales and field support organizations throughout the world. More information about VITAL and its services is available at www.vital-ns.com, or by calling 1-888-248-4825 (U.S. and Canada) or +1-813-818-5100 worldwide.

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