Bell Atlantic Cuts ISDN Prices Again

Bell Atlantic Cuts ISDN Prices Again

Company Offers Consumers Free Installation and Discounted Modem

March 13, 1997

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The cost of high-speed access to
cyberspace at home
has dropped again with Bell Atlantic's offer of free installation and
a steep discount on a modem for its integrated services digital
network (ISDN).

This follows recent cuts in basic monthly rates for ISDN to the home
throughout Bell Atlantic's service area, which includes six
mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia.

"We're committed to making ISDN affordable, available, and easy to
get
for consumers," said Tony Price, president of Bell Atlantic
InfoSpeed,
the company's ISDN sales channel. "With these discounts, there's
never been a better time to buy ISDN."

ISDN offers home consumers a quantum leap in the speed of
communicating. It handles voice, data and video five to nine times
faster than conventional analog modems. To install it, customers need
both an ISDN line and an ISDN modem to send and receive data. Inside
wiring changes often are required as well.

To bring the price tag down, Bell Atlantic is offering free ISDN line
installation, a $125 savings, and is joining with 3Com Corp. -- a
global data networking leader -- in offering an ISDN modem at a
substantial discount. Both offers run through April 30.

The 3ComImpact*IQ External ISDN Modem, packaged under both the Bell
Atlantic and 3Com brands, costs $259. This is $40 off Bell Atlantic's
normal price for the modem and as much as $100 less than the price of
comparable modems if purchased elsewhere. It is the lowest priced
modem Bell Atlantic has ever sold for supporting full ISDN voice and
data capabilities. The 3ComImpact IQ provides fast, smooth connections
to Internet software and services.

Customers who buy the modem also will receive a disc to install Bell
Atlantic's dial-up Internet access service, Bell Atlantic.net. This
service is available in many, but not all areas served by Bell
Atlantic.

Bell Atlantic.net offers all new customers an introductory trial
period of 30 days at no charge. However, there is a fee, as low as
$2, for a global access provider, the company that provides the long
distance portion of the service. After the trial period, the price for
Bell Atlantic.net with ISDN access is as low as $19.95 per month..

In Maryland, Bell Atlantic has additional incentives for customers who
buy the specially price modem and order a residential ISDN line.
They'll receive a $50 discount for installing inside wiring and a
CD-ROM detailing ISDN applications, terminology and answers to
frequently asked questions.

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. For consumers who use
the Internet and on-line services or telecommuters who need access to
their corporate computer networks, ISDN provides a quick way to
transmit and download data, graphics, and images.

"ISDN is becoming a must-have product for the home because people
want
communications products that move as fast as they do," Price said.
"They can't afford to waste time waiting for data to download.

Bell Atlantic offers consumers one-stop shopping for ISDN -- from the
initial service order through installation. Consumers can order ISDN
by calling the InfoSpeed sales center at
1-800-204-7332 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8
p.m. If inside
wiring is required, it can be purchased from Bell Atlantic or other
companies.

Monthly rates start at $28 in Maryland for 20 hours of total ISDN use
and $31 in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia
and the District of Columbia. Various rate packages are available
depending on how many hours customers use ISDN each month.

Bell Atlantic Corp. (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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* Trademark of the 3Com Corp.