Bell Atlantic Names Ascend Supplier of Choice for ATM Frame Relay Infrastructure

Bell Atlantic Names Ascend Supplier of Choice
for ATM, Frame Relay Infrastructure

Ascend Technology to Power Company's High-Speed
Data Highway

September 8, 1998

NEW YORK -- Ascend Communications, Inc. and Bell Atlantic Network
Services today announced a multi-year contract that significantly extends
the companies' existing relationship, calling for Ascend to be the primary
supplier of next generation Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and
Frame Relay switches for Bell Atlantic's advanced high-speed data
network. With this innovative technology, Bell Atlantic will be quicker to
market with an even larger suite of sophisticated data products and services
fueling top-line growth, and will continue to achieve significant savings by
leveraging the purchasing power of the new Bell Atlantic.

After an extensive bidding and review process, Bell Atlantic chose Ascend
to provide B-STDX 9000 Multiservice Frame Relay WAN switches, CBX
500 ATM Multiservice switches and GX 550 ATM "Smart" Core switches
and Navis^TM network management. Ascend switches provide high quality
service and availability, as well as rapid service management and delivery.

"Bell Atlantic is aggressively expanding our ATM and Frame Relay
capabilities to be our customers' first choice for all their data needs," said
Lawrence T. Babbio, Jr., president and CEO, Bell Atlantic Network Group
and chairman, Global Wireless Group. "Building a standardized delivery
platform that serves our entire footprint while driving down costs helps us
accomplish this goal. Our experience with Ascend has shown that they
understand the evolution of the data services marketplace, and that they
will deliver the future products and features we require to provide state-of-
the-art data solutions."

The ATM and Frame Relay agreement with Ascend reinforces Bell
Atlantic's commitment to diversified suppliers due to Ascend's sub-
contracting program with minority and women-owned businesses, Babbio
said.

Bell Atlantic offers a rich portfolio of application-oriented, advanced Fast
Packet Data Services to meet customers' hybrid wide area networking
needs. This family includes ATM Cell Relay Services, which provide a
supercharged backbone that boosts speed and consolidates capacity while
integrating the networks of today, and Frame Relay Services, which are
particularly well suited to handle distributed processing applications, such
as client/server computing, peer-to-peer inter-LAN connections and
Internet access.

"We are thrilled to be selected as supplier of choice for Bell Atlantic's
ATM and Frame Relay network," said Mory Ejabat, Ascend
Communications' president and CEO. "Throughout a long and fruitful
relationship with Bell Atlantic, Ascend has demonstrated not only
leadership in core infrastructure technology, but a vision for where data
networking is going. We look forward to working with Bell Atlantic to
provide its customers with the most advanced data services available
today."

Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of the new communications and information
industry. With more than 41 million telephone access lines and more than
seven million wireless customers worldwide, Bell Atlantic companies are
premier providers of advanced wireline voice and data services, market
leaders in wireless services and the world's largest publishers of directory
information. Bell Atlantic companies are also among the world's largest
investors in high-growth global communications markets, with operations
and investments in 23 countries.

Ascend Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASND) develops,
manufactures, sells and services wide area networking solutions for
telecommunications carriers, Internet service providers and corporate
customers worldwide. For more information about Ascend and its
products, please visit the Ascend web site at http://www.ascend.com or
send e-mail to info@ascend.com. Ascend is headquartered at One Ascend
Plaza, 1701 Harbor Bay Parkway, Alameda, Calif. 94502; phone is
800/ASCEND4 and fax is 510/814-2300.