Bell Atlantic Drops Price 20% on Most Popular Infospeed DSL Plan for Consumers

NEW YORK - Bell Atlantic Internet Solutions, a subsidiary of Verizon Communications, is cutting the price of its most popular Infospeed DSL package by 20 percent - from $49.95 to $39.95 a month.

Consumers can take advantage of the $10 reduction for Personal Infospeed^sm DSL in parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states where the service is available.

"Computer users are hungry for speed and now that we've made Infospeed DSL even more affordable, this is a great time to get connected with DSL," said Amy McIntosh, Verizon group president for Internet and Data Services. Verizon is the global telecommunications company formed by the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE.

Personal Infospeed DSL, which includes Bell Atlantic.netsm Internet access, features connection speeds up to 640 kilobits per second (Kbps) with unlimited use. As with all Infospeed DSL service, users can stay on as long as they want -- there's no re-dialing and no busy signals. With one click of the mouse, you're there. DSL also enables users to talk on the same line or send a fax while they're online.

"You have your own line, your own unlimited access to the Internet and Bell Atlantic's Internet service. There's no competing with phone calls, no competing with faxes and unlike cable modem customers, no competing with the neighbors who are also online," McIntosh said.

New customers who order Personal Infospeed DSL today will see the new lower price on their first bill. Current Personal Infospeed DSL customers, who receive both Infospeed DSL and Bell Atlantic.net service from Bell Atlantic Internet Solutions, will automatically benefit from the reduction, which is effective as of July 1.

Infospeed DSL Available in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States

Infospeed DSL is available in parts of New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, Maine, Connecticut and the District of Columbia.

Customers can determine whether Infospeed DSL is available to them on the Web at www.bellatlantic.com/infospeed or by calling 1-877-525-2375. Consumers who order online at www.bellatlantic.com/infospeed get the first 30 days free. Additional information about Infospeed DSL Plus packages for small businesses is available at www.bellatlantic.com/smallbiz.

Infospeed DSL is Bell Atlantic's brand name for DSL, or Digital Subscriber Line technology, which provides Internet access at connection speeds up to 7.1 megabits per second (Mbps) or up to 126 times faster than a traditional 56 Kbps modem, depending on the Infospeed package selected.

The connection speed is the rate at which customers connect to the DSL network and is faster than the actual speed of data transfer, which varies based on a number of factors including Internet congestion, proximity to the phone company central office and modem configuration.

By taking advantage of unused capacity on existing telephone lines, DSL technology allows consumers to use a single 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 Packages Offer Tremendous Value for All Users

In addition to the Personal Infospeed package at $39.95 a month, Personal Infospeed 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:

• Professional Infospeed DSL for consumers at $99.95 a month or Professional Infospeed DSL Plus for businesses at $114.95, feature speeds up to 1.6 Mbps.

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

All Infospeed DSL packages include Bell Atlantic.net Internet access. In addition, 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.

Getting started costs customers only $99 -- the price of the DSL modem.

Do-It-Yourself Installation Kit for Consumers

After consumers place an order, their line will be equipped with DSL. At the same time, the company will send them a do-it-yourself installation kit, including a DSL modem and instructions on how to complete the installation themselves.

The kit includes:

• DSL modem
• 6 desk and 2 wall micro-filters
• 2-line adapter
• cable for the modem
• Bell Atlantic.net software
• Installation instructions

The do-it-yourself installation is available to consumers who sign up for Personal or Professional Infospeed and generally no technician visit is required. A visit from a technician is required under certain circumstances for Personal or Professional Infospeed (when a customer has a two-line phone, for example), when consumers subscribe to Power Infospeed and for all businesses that subscribe to Infospeed DSL Plus.

After installation is completed, technical support is available to all Infospeed DSL customers, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Finally, the service comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee for all charges if a customer decides not to continue service.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ), formed by the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE, is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with 95 million access lines and 25 million wireless customers. A Fortune 10 company with more than 260,000 employees and approximately $60 billion in 1999 revenues, Verizon's global presence extends to 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.