Bell Atlantic's ISDN Service Now Available to Consumers In Washington, D.C.

Bell Atlantic's ISDN Service Now Available to
Consumers In Washington D.C.

High-Speed Access to the Internet Available at Affordable Monthly
Rates

January 7, 1997

WASHINGTON - High-speed access to cyberspace from home is now
affordable and easy to get for consumers in the District of Columbia
by using Bell
Atlantic's residential ISDN
(Integrated Services Digital Network) service. Starting
this month, ISDN is available for the first time at residential
rates. ISDN provides
a quick way to transmit and download data, graphics and images for
consumers
who use the Internet and on-line services or for telecommuters who
need access
to their corporate computer networks.

The D.C. Public Service
Commission now
has allowed Bell Atlantic to offer ISDN to the home at interim
residential rates,
pending further review by the commission. Previously, ISDN has been
available in
the District only at business rates. "We're offering a variety of
very attractively
priced packages to meet the needs of consumers who need the speed and
reliability of ISDN," said Marie Johns, Bell Atlantic - Washington
vice president.
"There's a package priced to meet every need so that consumers can
enjoy faster
access to the Internet, on-line services and corporate computer
networks."

Pricing
options for monthly residential ISDN service include five packages
ranging from
$31a month for 20 hours of B-channel use to $120 monthly for 500
hours of
B-channel use for voice, data or video transmission. ISDN provides
two B
channels that each transmit data at 64 kilobits per second (Kbps).
For those who
need an ISDN data connection 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Bell
Atlantic
offers an unlimited ISDN usage package for $249 monthly. Consumers
who plan
to use ISDN for only a few hours a month can buy measured service for
$23.50
monthly plus a local usage fee of 2 cents per minute per channel
during peak hours
or 1 cent per minute per channel during off-peak hours. Peak time is
7 a.m. to 7
p.m. Monday through Friday. Off-peak times are evenings and weekends.
ISDN
installation is $125. This does not include inside wiring, which may
be required, or
equipment installation. Both can be purchased from Bell Atlantic or other
companies. "With ISDN, you don't waste time on lengthy downloading
sessions
that are routine with analog modems and that means consumers who
subscribe to
usage-based on-line services will save money every time they go
on-line," said
Johns.

The interim monthly rates are as follows: Measured - $23.50
plus usage
charge 20 hours - $31 60 hours - $45 140 hours - $60 300 hours - $90 500
hours - $120 Unlimited - $249 For example, consumers who buy the 60-hour
package will get 30 hours if they use both channels or 60 hours when
they use one
channel for voice, data or video transmission. Customers who use more
time than
the package they select will pay a local usage fee for the additional
time -- 2 cents
per minute per channel peak time and 1 cent per minute per channel
off-peak.

ISDN is an all-digital network technology that combines voice, data
and video
signals on a single telephone line, and transmits them at speeds up
to 128 kilobits
per second (Kbps) - or as high as 500 Kbps with common compression
techniques available in some of the ISDN-capable equipment. When compared
with 14.4 Kbps analog modems, the increase in speed can be up to
nine-fold. Bell
Atlantic offers consumers one-stop shopping for ISDN - from the
initial service
order through installation. Consumers who order ISDN service will need
ISDN-capable equipment, called terminal adapters or ISDN modems, that
allow
their computers to transmit and receive data at higher speeds. Bell
Atlantic offers a
variety of terminal adapters beginning at $275. Bell Atlantic also
will install for an
additional charge the necessary inside wiring and ISDN terminal
adapter.

To order or receive information about Bell Atlantic's residential ISDN
service, customers can call Bell Atlantic InfoSpeed at 1-800-204-7332
Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Customers also can send
an e-mail message to isdncin@bell-atl.com. Information also
is available on Bell Atlantic's residential ISDN home page at http://www.bell-atl.com/isdn/consumer.

Bell Atlantic Corporation (NYSE:
BEL) is at the forefront of the new communications, entertainment and
information industry. In the mid-Atlantic region, the company is the
premier provider of local telecommunications and advanced services.
Globally, it is one of the largest investors in the high-growth wireless
communication marketplace. Bell Atlantic also owns a substantial interest
in Telecom Corporation of New Zealand and is actively developing
high-growth national and international business opportunities in all
phases of the industry.

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