Bell Atlantic Expands Its Transparent LAN Services In The Baltimore Region

Bell Atlantic Expands Its Transparent LAN Services In The Baltimore Region

Businesses Can Now Save Money and Increase Data Transmission
Speed Using Bell Atlantic's Network

February 25, 1997

PHILADELPHIA -- Baltimore-area businesses can increase
the speed at
which they move data between multiple locations and spend less money
buying on-site equipment.

Bell Atlantic announced that it has added FDDI Network
Services, or
FNS, to the transparent LAN services it currently offers in the
Baltimore metropolitan area: Full FDDI and Wire Speed LAN.

By adding FNS to its current Transparent LAN Services, Bell Atlantic
can offer businesses the best service for their specific requirements.
FNS permits the sharing of data at high speeds between Ethernet or
Token Ring LANs. Unlike the current services, which are private
networking solutions, FNS is provided over Bell Atlantic's public
network.

"FNS is a great solution for business customers who need reliable,
flexible, high performance LAN interconnection service, but don't want
to pay for extra on-site equipment," said Karl Rookstool, director
of
Bell Atlantic's Internetworking Group. "It's also another example of
the creative way Bell Atlantic puts its network to work for
businesses."

Bell Atlantic launched FNS four years ago in Washington, D.C. With
more than 500 connections in the Washington area today, the service
continues to grow in popularity.

"Our Washington customers have been pleased with how easy it is to
integrate FNS into their existing networks," Rookstool said.
"In
fact, implementing FNS is as easy as adding another port on their
LAN."

FNS is also reliable. Bell Atlantic's Data Network Control Center
(DNCC) monitors and manages the FNS network 24 hours a day, seven
days a week, using state-of-the-art management equipment.

DIGEX, a company that provides Internet services and has several
locations in the mid-Atlantic region is one of Bell Atlantic's
Washington-area FNS customers. The director of marketing at DIGEX,
Dave Dobel, said he expects FNS to help his business grow in the
Baltimore area.

"The addition of FNS in Baltimore gives our customers an entire
array
of access speeds to our network," Dobel said. "We can now get
the same
high bandwidth-to-cost ratio that we have in the D.C. region."

Bell
Atlantic's Large Business Services organization offers customers
Bell Atlantic All@once Solutions®: integrated voice, data and
video
applications and the professional consulting and support services that
add up to a precise solution that fits and evolves to meet customers'
specific communications needs.

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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