Bell Atlantic Turbocharges Small Businesses With Introduction of Infospeed DSL PLUS Offering

Bell Atlantic Turbocharges Small Businesses
With Introduction of Infospeed DSL PLUS
Offering

Fast, Versatile Connection Supports Productivity, Growth,
Communication

July 15, 1999

NEW YORK -- Bell Atlantic now is offering small businesses in key
Northeast markets an affordable, high-speed Internet link that will
turbocharge their business processes and communications.

Bell Atlantic Infospeed^sm DSL PLUS is an "always-on," high-
speed Internet access link for business customers. It is available at three
speeds, with prices starting at $64.95 a month. An introductory package
provides a free Ethernet card, valued at up to $59.95, a modem for only
$99, and free turnkey wiring and computer installation. Business
customers must make a one-year commitment to BellAtlantic.net to take
advantage of this offer.

The service is available now in parts of Washington, D.C., Philadelphia,
Pittsburgh and New Jersey. Infospeed DSL PLUS will be offered to
businesses in parts of the New York and Boston areas starting Aug. 1.

(See separate Bell Atlantic news release issued today announcing the
introduction of Bell Atlantic Infospeed DSL service for consumers in New
York City.)

The service is expected to be popular with businesses breaking into or
expanding their Internet-based, e-commerce functions, or with those who
use the World Wide Web for customer communications, supplier
connections, video conferencing, file transfers and Web-based research.

Boosts Productivity, Lowers Costs

"The impact on productivity and costs are self evident," said
Rahman Karriem, marketing director for Bell Atlantic General Business
Services. "And with more than half of all small businesses breaking
into Web-based sales and services, the speeds and economies Infospeed
DSL PLUS offers represent an invaluable tool for merchandisers, service
providers, resource companies and businesses of all kinds.

"Even the largest businesses are learning that to survive, they need
an e-commerce channel to reach and engage customers well beyond their
local area," he said. "A smaller enterprise can use packages
like this to make a huge impact in national and global markets."

According to Courtney Munroe, program director, IDC Business Network
Services, a leading business technology analyst, the seven million small-
and medium-sized companies in the U.S. represent the fastest growing
segment for telecommunications services.
"This sector requires comprehensive Internet access and e-
commerce solutions that are
inexpensive, reliable and flexible.

"Bell Atlantic's Infospeed DSL PLUS service is an excellent
package that provides cost-effective broadband access and other tools that
will give small companies a global web presence, and the flexibility to
migrate to higher speeds and services as their businesses evolve."

Infospeed DSL PLUS is provided over Bell Atlantic's DSL, or Digital
Subscriber Line technology, which allows businesses to connect to the
Internet at speeds up to 126 times faster than a 56.6 kilobits per second
(Kbps) modem. With Infospeed DSL PLUS service, provided over
existing phone lines, users can simultaneously access the Internet and send
faxes or make and receive phone calls, supporting the small business goal
of always being available to customers. Because the connection to the
Internet is always on, there's no waiting for dial ups, and browser software
can be at work 24 hours a day, gathering information, handling customer
e-mails and providing a business presence for customers worldwide.

Infospeed DSL PLUS will be offered at three download speeds; up to 640
Kbps, up to 1.6 megabits per second (Mbps) and up to 7.1 Mbps. Upload
speeds are 90 Kbps for the first two versions and up to 680 Kbps for the
7.1 Mbps version.

The standard, 640 Kbps service, Infospeed DSL Personal Plus, will cost
$64.95 per month. The 1.6 Mbps service, Infospeed DSL Professional
Plus, will cost $114.95 per month and the 7.l Mbps Infospeed DSL Power
Plus will cost $204.95 per month.

Package Includes Mailboxes, Web Page Platform

Customers who rely on e-mail will appreciate having up to six mailboxes
which are available with the Bell Atlantic DSL PLUS transport and
Internet package. At 20 megabits each, the mailboxes are sized for
business customer use. Bell Atlantic.net also will provide up to five
megabits of Web page memory capacity to build Web pages custom-
designed to meet business needs.

The service is designed to serve individual office PCs and is intended
primarily for Internet connectivity, not remote access to local area
networks. The service is asymmetrical, with download speeds higher than
upload speeds. A symmetrical product, with equal high speeds in both
directions will be introduced later this year. Having greater uploading
speed is important to those who plan to access corporate networks (local
area networks, or LANs) remotely and generally have a greater need to
send, as well as receive, large files.

Each DSL circuit requires a DSL modem, available for $99. Visits by
Bell Atlantic technicians may be required to establish the service at a
business location.

Customers will have access to free, 24-hour, seven-day-a-week technical
support service. Infospeed DSL PLUS comes with a 30-day, money-back
service guarantee.

DSL Rollout Continues

Bell Atlantic continues to deploy DSL service in central switching offices
throughout the region. As Bell Atlantic's network is enhanced to provide
DSL services in more areas, the Infospeed DSL PLUS product will be
made available in those areas as well.

Bell Atlantic's General Business Services offers an extensive suite of
communications solutions for small to medium-sized businesses. Whether
for voice, data, images or video, Bell Atlantic's business solutions
represent a tailored approach for customers. Account team members and
Customer Response Center representatives work closely with business
owners and managers, educating and guiding them through the
complexities of today's communication technologies. To learn more about
Bell Atlantic's communications solutions -- a perfect fit for businesses --
visit www.bellatlantic.com/smallbiz.

Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of the new communications and
information industry. With 43 million telephone access lines and nine
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.