Bell Atlantic PCS handbook wins prestigious award

ARLINGTON, Va. -- So, you've got a license to provide personal communications services (PCS), but you could use some help getting the business off the ground. You know your customers will be clamoring for services like Caller ID and directory assistance, yet you don't have a clue how to get them.

Bell Atlantic had you in mind when it created the PCS Providers' Handbook, a road map for this new telecommunications frontier. The 40-page booklet recently garnered a first-place prize from the Personal Communications Industry Association for helping clarify the highly complex process awaiting those who want to plunge into the PCS business. Over 1,500 copies of the handbook have been requested and distributed.

Jay Kitchen, president of the Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA), said the handbook "sets a high standard" for potential award winners at the next PCS convention and trade show. He said the success of PCS is already "a given." But, he added, marketing of the service "is crucial to ensure PCS' rapid growth."

The booklet, produced by Bell Atlantic's Carrier Services organization, provides a list of the support services the company offers PCS entrepreneurs, everything from high-speed network transport to call billing options. There's even a section that maps each product to the PCS technology standards, including CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) and GSM (Global Systems for Mobile Communications).

"This handbook has proven to be a terrific starting point for anyone coming into the PCS business," said Patrick Hanley, president of Carrier Services. "How many companies have gone to such lengths to assist new PCS carriers enter the market?" he added. Carrier Services has a long history of providing support to both large and small PCS entrepreneurs.

The PCS Handbook has proven to be so popular, a third printing with updated information is in the works. PCS Carriers interested in the handbook should call 1-800-999-1210. The Bell Atlantic Carrier Services line of business provides switched, special, and wireless access to Bell Atlantic's telecommunications network. Carrier Services also is meeting PCS provider needs with network survivability and the development of new wireless services, such as single number service and new access services.

Bell Atlantic Corporation (NYSE: BEL) is at the forefront of the new communications, entertainment and information industry. In the mid-Atlantic region, the company is the premier provider of local telecommunications and advanced services. Globally, it is one of the largest investors in the high-growth wireless communication marketplace. Bell Atlantic also owns a substantial interest in Telecom Corporation of New Zealand and is actively developing high-growth national and international business opportunities in all phases of the industry.