Everest will pay an undisclosed amount to wire the buildings, which encompass 14 million sf, and are located in Washington, Bethesda, Arlington, Fairfax and Tysons Corner. The Fort Lee, NJ company is the fifth telecommunications provider that the Arlington landlord has accepted into its buildings.

"The local exchange carriers--we need more competition than they currently provide," says Brent Bitz, executive vice president of Charles E. Smith. "We'll have a competitive array of telecom services. We're taking an aggressive stance for our tenants." The company has agreements to give Intermedia, Cypress, Allied Riser and Eziaz access to its office buildings and tenants. Smith expects to sign more deals, Bitz says.

The five-year deal, which has an option for five more, brings Everest's portfolio to more than 192 million sf under contract in 523 buildings.

The competition is typical, says Everest spokesman Mike Granieri. "There are very few exclusive deals in this industry," he notes.

Everest plans to offer high-speed Internet access, long-distance telephone service, satellite and digital television and advanced e-mail services. It also plans to aggregate the offerings of several applications service providers that are used by small and medium-sized businesses, giving tenants a central access point for high-demand services.

It's an aggressive business model that will help it gain the edge in a nascent industry that is maturing quickly, and will see its field of players narrow quickly, Granieri says, adding that, "There will be consolidation." For example, Everest started up in January, but bought out a New York competitor, Metrocomm International Inc., last month.

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Everest Gains Access to 57 Charles E. Smith Office Buildings

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