Vancouver, Washington - (The Hosting News) - January 29, 2007 - Broadband network company, New Edge Networks, was selected by retailer of custom printed announcements, greeting cards, gift wrap and stationery firm, PAPYRUS, to improve operating efficiency and optimize business processes.

By developing web-based applications to automate previously manual tasks, the iInstallation of the high-performance network was a major strategic initiative for PAPYRUS in 2006, based in Fairfield, California. As a result, PAPYRUS turned up its private network for most of its stores just before the start of the last holiday shopping season. Sales were brisk last holiday season for PAPYRUS, a nationwide retailer of high-end custom printed announcements, greeting cards, gift wrap, stationery, and unique gift products.

Bob Jellison, Vice President of Information Services for PAPYRUS commented, ”We were able to immediately speed up card transaction times from about 30 seconds, using dial-up connections, to less than five seconds with our new network. Short check out lines invite busy shoppers and enable our sales and customer service associates to help our customers celebrate life and all of its moments with meaningful personal expressions. Faster card payment transactions are just the beginning of what we will be able to do with a private network. We view New Edge Networks as a strategic partner in the growth and development of PAPYRUS.”

PAPYRUS turned to New Edge Networks for designing, building, and managing a network that links more than 165 stores from California to New York. PAPYRUS initially is using the network for credit card payments, rewards program, real-time sales polling, and email. It plans to expand its use to include Internet telephony, or VoIP, and other store systems or applications starting later this year. For payment processing, PAPYRUS is routing credit card transaction traffic from individual stores directly to its payment processor, First Data Corp., over a private network rather than funneling traffic through its headquarters in Fairfield, Calif., or sending the transactions through the public Internet.

Use of an always on, redundant direct connection eliminates the added monthly communications cost for a retailer to provide a dedicated private circuit to the payment processor. It also eliminates a single point of failure for all stores if their connection goes out of service. New Edge Networks and each payment processor with whom it has direct connections jointly manage direct connections to ensure round-the-clock access and reliability.

Greg Griffiths, Vice President of Marketing for New Edge Networks adde, “The DSL-based private network provides PAPYRUS the flexibility and management tools it needs to grow and to differentiate itself in a competitive marketplace. New Edge Networks will continually develop new products and expand network services that will help PAPYRUS expand and exceed its business goals.”

The word PAPYRUS (pah:pie:rus) comes from the earliest form of paper crafted from the PAPYRUS plant. PAPYRUS was founded in the family kitchen of Marcel and Margrit Schurman in 1950. Inspired by a love of fine art, they had a vision for products of uncompromising quality which provided the starting point from which genuine personal connections are made, for over 56 years, and over 165 stores.

New Edge Networks, based in Vancouver, Wash., is a wholly owned subsidiary of EarthLink Inc. (NASDQ: ELNK). New Edge Networks builds and manages private networks for businesses and communications providers. Through its nationwide backbone network with about 900 switches and Internet routers, New Edge Networks uses any blend of access technologies (xDSL, frame relay, ATM, cable, wireless, and satellite) for providing broadband connectivity at any business address in the United States. Network options include any combination of access, network management functions, and on-site installation services.

For more information about PAPYRUS, please visit: www.papyrusonline.com.

To learn more about New Edge Networks, please visit: www.newedgenetworks.com.