Bell Atlantic to Demonstrate High-Speed Internet Access Service at Boston Public Library Thursday

Bell Atlantic to Demonstrate High-Speed
Internet Access Service at Boston Public
Library Thursday

Infospeed^sm DSL Service Will Power Informational Kiosks
Linked to City Hall and Visitor Destinations

Sept. 8, 1999

BOSTON -- In the first Boston area demonstration of its new
high-speed, always-on Internet access service, Bell Atlantic is inviting the
public to see and try its Infospeed service at the Boston Public Library on
Thursday, Sept. 9 from 3 to 8 p.m.

The event marks the City of Boston's first use of the service to power
informational kiosks at the library and throughout the city. The project is a
partnership between Bell Atlantic and the city, and is the result of Mayor
Thomas Menino's desire to give all Boston residents access to City Hall
and the Internet at any time. The mayor will unveil the first DSL-powered
kiosk at 7 p.m. at the Boylston Street entrance to the Boston Public
Library.

The kiosks will provide access to many City Hall services and to resources
for finding local businesses and activities.

Infospeed DSL service is now available to many consumers and
businesses throughout greater Boston (see locations at end of this release).
Infospeed DSL is Bell Atlantic's brand name for DSL, or Digital
Subscriber Line technology, which provides a continuous connection to
cyberspace up to 126 times faster than a traditional 56 Kbps (kilobits per
second) modem, depending on the Infospeed package selected.

By taking advantage of unused capacity on existing telephone lines,
Infospeed technology allows consumers to use a single household phone
line to send a fax or make phone calls while simultaneously surfing the
Web for news, weather or the latest stock quotes.

Infospeed DSL is always on. There's no dialing and no busy signals.
With one click of the mouse, you're there.

Infospeed Packages Offer Tremendous Value

At $49.95 a month, Bell Atlantic's entry-level Personal Infospeed package
for consumers features speeds up to 640 kilobits per second (Kbps) with
unlimited use. Bell Atlantic Infospeed DSL Personal Plus, the company's
entry-level package for businesses, is priced at $64.95, with speeds up to
640 Kbps for unlimited use.

Consumers and business customers who want even faster connections
have two other options:

• Bell Atlantic Professional Infospeed for consumers, at $99.95 a
  month, or Bell Atlantic Infospeed DSL Professional Plus for
  businesses, at $114.95, feature speeds up to 1.6 megabits per
  second (Mbps).

• Bell Atlantic Power Infospeed for consumers, at $189.95, or Bell
  Atlantic Infospeed DSL Power Plus, at $204.95 a month, offer
  speeds up to 7.1 Mbps.

All Bell Atlantic Infospeed DSL packages for consumers include
BellAtlantic.net Internet access and a link to a special version of
the Snap portal service designed for Bell Atlantic's high-speed users.

All Bell Atlantic Infospeed DSL Plus packages offer business customers
up to six mailboxes, sized to meet business needs at 20 megabytes each,
and five megabytes of Web page space.

The initial cost includes a $99 one-time network connection fee and -- for
BellAtlantic.net subscribers -- a DSL modem for $99.

In addition, technical support is 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.

Bell Atlantic introduced Infospeed DSL to the Boston area this spring.
The company will add more communities in the Boston area in coming
months as part of its plan to make 17 million residential and business lines
DSL-capable by the end of the year throughout its Northeast service area.

The company recently announced that it would accelerate its deployment
of Infospeed DSL this year to equip 700 of its central offices for from
Maine to Virginia.

Customers can make a reservation for Bell Atlantic Infospeed DSL
services at their homes or businesses via the Bell Atlantic Web site at
www.bellatlantic.com/infospeed or by calling
1-877-525-2DSL. 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 more than 43 million telephone access lines and nearly 10 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.

*EDITOR'S NOTE: To see a demonstration of Infospeed DSL in the
Boston area, call 212-395-2051.

Bell Atlantic Infospeed DSL Service
Now Available in Parts of the Following Areas: