Bell Atlantic Launches Infospeed DSL Service In Boston Market

Bell Atlantic Launches Infospeed DSL
Service In Boston Market

Customers Value Security of Point-to-Point,
Digital Link to the Internet

April 27, 1999

BOSTON -- Consumers in the Boston area now have a better
choice for high-speed Internet access -- Bell Atlantic's
^sm DSL service, an always-on, direct connection available today in
Cambridge and soon to be introduced in other parts of the Boston
metropolitan area. The entry-level package with unlimited use is only
$49.95.

With Infospeed DSL, there's no dialing. No busy signals. You're there,
with one click of the mouse. The digital high-speed service provides an
"always-on" link to the Internet.

"Our Infospeed DSL customers tell us they value most their
'always-on' connection," said Amy McIntosh, president -- Consumer
Data Services, Bell Atlantic. "They are enjoying the speed, as well
as the immediate and unlimited access to the Internet that Infospeed DSL
gives them."

Infospeed DSL is Bell Atlantic's brand name for ADSL, or Asymmetric
Digital Subscriber Line technology, which provides Internet access to
consumers at speeds up to 126 times faster than a 56 kilobits per second
(Kbps) modem, depending on the Infospeed package selected. By taking
advantage of unused capacity on existing telephone lines, the technology
allows consumers to use a single phone line to send faxes or make phone
calls while they're surfing the Internet.

Introduced last fall, Infospeed DSL now is available in parts of the
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas and in
communities on New Jersey's Hudson River waterfront. The company
will expand availability in additional communities in these markets in the
coming weeks and months. In addition, Bell Atlantic plans to introduce
the service in the New York area later this spring.

A recent survey of Infospeed DSL customers in those regions showed that
more than 40 percent are using the service more than 30 hours a week.
Over 90 percent said they are online at least 10 hours per week. When
asked which features of DSL service were most important to them, 89
percent cited the "no dialing/no busy signals" aspect of
Infospeed DSL.

Three Packages Offered with Bell Atlantic.net Internet
Access

Bell Atlantic's entry-level package of DSL service and Internet access --
Bell Atlantic Personal Infospeed -- is offered at $49.95 a month for
unlimited use, a $10 reduction from the introductory price in October
1998. Personal Infospeed features speeds up to 640 kilobits per second
(Kbps), Bell Atlantic.net^sm Internet access
and a link to a special version of the Snap portal service that is designed
for Bell Atlantic's high-speed users.

Bell Atlantic.net's two other package options are:

• Bell Atlantic Professional Infospeed at $99.95 a month for
  unlimited use, a $10 reduction off the initial price last fall.
  Professional Infospeed features speeds up to 1.6 megabits per second
  (Mbps) and Bell Atlantic.net Internet access.

• Bell Atlantic Power Infospeed at $189.95 a month for unlimited
  use. Power Infospeed offers speeds up to 7.1 Mbps and Bell
  Atlantic.net Internet access.

Customers choose the option that most closely meets their needs, subject
to distance limitations.

Initial fees are $198 for the Bell Atlantic service packages during
promotional periods, including the cost of setting up a connection and
equipment, such as ADSL modems, needed to operate the service. To
enjoy the full benefit of the promotions, customers must make a one-year
commitment to Bell Atlantic.net.

The up-front, set-up costs during the promotional period include a $99
one-time network connection fee and -- for Bell Atlantic.net subscribers --
an ADSL modem for $99. Fees for inside wiring work and fees for a
specialist to aid in the set-up of the person's at-home computer also will be
waived Bell Atlantic.net customers during promotional periods.

After installation is complete, technical support will be available to all
Infospeed DSL customers, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Finally, the
service comes with a customer-care, money-back guarantee for all charges
if a customer decides not to continue service within 30 days of installation.

ISP, Marketing Programs Offer Incentives

Bell Atlantic has an ISP Partnership Program that compensates
participating Internet service providers (ISPs) for Infospeed DSL sales
they stimulate. ISPs can package their own Internet access offerings with
three levels of high-speed connections from Bell Atlantic, each priced as a
flat monthly rate: Infospeed DSL 640K at $39.95, Infospeed DSL 1.6M at
$59.95 and Infospeed DSL 7.1M at $109.95.

The company also offers incentives for customers to buy Bell Atlantic.net
service, powered by Infospeed DSL, and to encourage their friends to do
so as well.

If consumers have previously purchased an ISDN (Integrated Services
Digital Network) modem from Bell Atlantic, they can receive an ADSL
modem from the company at no additional charge when Infospeed sm DSL
service becomes available in their area. That means customers who want
high-speed Internet access need not wait until ADSL-powered Infospeed is
available in their area. ISDN operates at 128Kbps, providing Internet
connections more than 4 times faster than traditional 28.8 Kbps modems.

In addition, Bell Atlantic will give customers $100 for each successful
referral of a new Infospeed DSL customer. When consumers order Bell
Atlantic.net^sm and Infospeed DSL, Bell Atlantic
will send them referral cards to give to friends and neighbors. When one
of these friends orders Infospeed DSL and Bell Atlantic.net and keeps the
two services for 60 days, the referring customer will receive a $100 sales
referral check.

Consumers already subscribing to a cable modem or satellite-delivered
high-speed Internet service will be given an incentive to switch to Bell
Atlantic.net, powered by Infospeed DSL. The price of the ADSL modem
will be cut in half once a customer mails or faxes a copy of a recent bill
from their cable modem or satellite Internet provider.

Customers can make a reservation for Bell Atlantic Infospeed DSL
services today via the Bell Atlantic Web site at www.bellatlantic.com/infospeed
or by calling 1-877-525-ADSL. They also can preview
Bell Atlantic's high-speed portal by visiting www.bellatlantic.net/infospeed
.

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.

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