Bell Atlantic Offers 21st Century Teleworkers the Same High-Speed Access They Use in the Office

Bell Atlantic Offers 21st Century Teleworkers the
Same High-Speed Access They Use in the Office

Managed IP Network Allows for a Secure, Reliable and
Comprehensive
Telecommuting Package All With a Local Call

February 23, 2000

NEW YORK -- Large businesses can now create virtual offices with a
package of Bell Atlantic services that give teleworkers the same high-
speed access at home that they use in the office.

Bell Atlantic's Enterprise Virtual Office Solutions , introduced today,
provide comprehensive voice and data services, advanced security options,
equipment and single number routing within the Bell Atlantic region for
remote access to data services.

The virtual office is based on the premise that today's businesses require
high-speed connections with employees who need to find, use, and
exchange information from remote locations.

Enterprise Virtual Office Solutions are a continuum of services providing
voice service and secure, high-speed remote LAN or Internet access for
workers using analog, ISDN (integrated services digital network), or DSL
(digital subscriber line) transport.

The package is a modular solution that uses Bell Atlantic Data Solutions
Group's Managed Internet Protocol (IP) network as its foundation.
Corporate customers purchase Basic Virtual Office Solutions so their
employees can access a remote LAN or the Internet. They also can select
additional services, including complete program management and
outsourcing.

"Enterprise Virtual Office Solutions makes your working location
transparent, so that work is what you do, not where you go," said
Dennis Elwell, director of Bell Atlantic's enterprise business group.
"It allows your business to be as flexible as you want it to be,
wherever you want it to be."

The 21st Century business environment is being shaped by the exponential
growth of the Internet and e-commerce, the proliferation of wide area
networks, and the growing demand for high-speed, secure access, anytime,
anywhere.

In 1999, according to the Telework America survey, there were 19.6
million full-time teleworkers in the American workforce. By the year
2001, analysts estimate there will be between 60 and 110 million full and
part-time mobile workers. The changing demands of the workforce and
the increasing complexity of communications network technology have
led Bell Atlantic to develop a single-source, remote access solution for
large businesses.

For human resource departments, Enterprise Virtual Office Solutions
teleworking capabilities can be a powerful tool in attracting new workers,
retaining existing employees and increasing their productivity, as well as
lowering recruiting and training expenses. For financial managers,
Enterprise Virtual Office Solutions capabilities can be a way to save
money on real estate by reducing the need for office space. Network and
IT departments supporting teleworkers will be better able to tighten
security, increase access speed and eliminate toll charges and costly
modem pools.

"Today's successful managers recognize the need to relinquish some
of the bothersome issues of installation, coordination and equipment
maintenance, to their service provider, allowing them to focus on their
business, not their network," said Elwell. "Enterprise Virtual
Office Solutions from Bell Atlantic provide customers with a complete
suite of services, truly customized to each customer's remote access
services needs."

TReND, one of the largest multiple listing services for real estate in the
nation, has chosen Bell Atlantic to support its GoTReND! network and
MLSWeb service to give realtors remote access to critical, real-time
information and help them provide more valuable customer service.

"We chose Bell Atlantic because it has the resources and expertise
to create and manage the reliable, high-speed network we need
throughout our Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania region,"
said Rita Johnson, TReND president and CEO.

Enterprise Virtual Office Solutions will be available initially in New
York City and in portions of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Virginia, W. Virginia, and Washington, D.C. It will be
available in Eastern Massachusetts by mid-year and in the remaining Bell
Atlantic states by year's end.

Basic Virtual Office Solutions

Customers purchase Basic Virtual Office Solution, then tailor the solution
by selecting other options to meet their particular business needs. Basic
Enterprise Virtual Office Solutions includes:

• Access via DSL, ISDN or analog service, depending on customer needs
  and the availability of service in the area;

• End user authentication and authorization for secure access to the
  network and an x.500 directory that contains user profiles;

• Local number dialing for data throughout the Bell Atlantic region via
  a single dial-up number, eliminating the need for toll calls;

• A 24-hour help desk that provides additional advanced support for
  companies that encounter problems beyond their basic troubleshooting
  capabilities;

Enhanced Virtual Office Solutions

These features can be added to Basic Virtual Office Solutions:

• E-mail and Usenet options. Bell Atlantic can host email accounts and
  access to Usenet newsgroups at the customer's request;

• Additional security. Bell Atlantic's Managed Virtual Private Network
  provides an additional level of security that uses encryption and digital
  certificates;

• Access Services. Business grade voice services that employees would
  normally have at the office -- including conference calling, Caller ID, call
  forwarding and voice mail -- are now available at remote locations.
  Remote workers also can have their own Bell Atlantic corporate calling
  card.

• Enhanced Customer Care options. A basic Help Desk for data
  services and inside wire maintenance plans are available.

• Premises Equipment. Bell Atlantic can satisfy any remote access need
  with equipment including a variety of telephone hardware such as single
  or two-line phones, cordless phones, ISDN sets, and a number of DSL and
  ISDN modems.

Managed Virtual Office Solutions

The fully managed option, currently in development, will help manage
or outsource a business' remote access program or its entire telework
program so that the staff can concentrate on business. Managed Virtual
Office Solutions will be offered in conjunction with a nationally
recognized integration company. It will offer Web-enabled ordering
and a single point of contact for implementation and management of
Enterprise Virtual Office Solutions services. Teleworking consulting for
assistance in developing and planning a corporate remote access program
also will be available.

In the coming months, Bell Atlantic will be introducing several important
Enterprise Virtual Office Solutions vertical applications, including one
targeted to higher education, and another targeted to Applications
Service Providers.

Bell Atlantic's Data Solutions group (www.ba-dsg.com) provides globally
integrated network solutions that seamlessly connect businesses with their
customers, partners and employees. DSG provides all aspects of data
networking from the management and operation of customer networks and
network integration, to network transport and advanced IP services, such as
intranets and extranets, virtual private networks, web hosting and multimedia
services.

Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of the new communications and information
industry. With nearly 44 million telephone access lines and 12 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.