Bell Atlantic Mobile Donations Make Streets Safer For School Children

Bell Atlantic Mobile Donations Make Streets Safer For School Children

10 Wireless Phones Donated to School Crossing Guards

April 20, 1999

BLOOMFIELD, NJ -- Students in two Essex County communities can
now walk to school on safer streets, thanks to wireless phones donated by
Bell Atlantic Mobile. School crossing guards in Bloomfield and
Maplewood have been outfitted with wireless phones specially
programmed to dial 9-1-1 at the touch of a button to quickly and easily
summon help in emergencies.

"children as they navigate busy streets and intersections on their way to
class," said Charles Hand, president of Bell Atlantic Mobile's New York
Metro region. "These phones will ensure that crossing guards can
summon help immediately without leaving their posts. These phones put
safety in the palms of their hands."

Police departments in both towns requested the phones to enable crossing
guards to respond quickly to accidents, medical emergencies or crimes in
progress.

The donations are part of the company's "Wireless At Work" community
service program, one of a series of company initiatives designed to bring
the benefits of wireless technology to communities throughout the New
York/New Jersey metro area. Over the past two years, the company has
donated more than 700 wireless phones in the area, including nearly 300 to
crossing guards.

Bell Atlantic Mobile recently launched its Wireless at Work Phone
Recycling Program aimed at reclaiming old and unused phones and putting
them into the hands of people who need emergency communications. The Bloomfield
Police Department will sponsor a wireless phone recycling drive in June to
equip additional crossing guards with phones. Details of the drive will be
announced shortly.

In the NY/NJ Metro Region, Bell Atlantic Mobile was named leader in overall
customer satisfaction among wireless users, according to the prestigious JD
Power and Associates 1998 US Wireless Customer Satisfaction Study. Bell
Atlantic Mobile owns and operates the largest wireless network in the East, covering
120,000 square miles, and the largest chain of retail outlets devoted exclusively to
wireless voice, data and paging. Based in Bedminster, NJ, Bell Atlantic Mobile has 6.4
million customers and 8,000 employees from Maine to Georgia and, through a separate
subsidiary, in the Southwest. Bell Atlantic Mobile's parent is one of the world's largest
wireless communications companies, with domestic operations in 25 states and
international investments in Mexico, Europe and the Pacific Rim. For more information
on Bell Atlantic Mobile visit: www.bam.com; on global operations visit:
www.bellatlantic.com/worldwide.

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Local contacts in communities that have equipped school crossing
guards with wireless phones:

Community: Contact/Reach Number:

Maplewood, New Jersey Director Paul Gizzo
Maplewood P.D. 973-762-3402 ext. 1-322

Bloomfield, New Jersey Officer Anthony Monticello
Bloomfield, P.D. 973-680-4106