Bell Atlantic Mobile Names John Stratton President of Philadelphia Tri-State Region

Bell Atlantic Mobile Names John Stratton President of Philadelphia Tri-State Region

January 29, 1998

TREVOSE, PA - - Bell Atlantic Mobile has named John Stratton president
of the Philadelphia Tri-State Region, one of the most competitive
wireless markets in the United States. Stratton succeeds Robert F.
Stott who was named head of the company's Northeast market.

In this position, Stratton will assume responsibility for the
company's operations throughout Philadelphia and its suburbs, the
Lehigh Valley, southern New Jersey and the state of Delaware.
Specifically, he will oversee the company's sales, marketing, network
systems expansion, finance, administration, and an extensive retail
store network.

Stratton has more than 15 years experience in retail marketing and
operations for consumer electronic products. He has led a dynamic
career with Bell Atlantic Mobile, serving in two key executive
positions within the company. Most recently he served as vice
president of marketing for Bell Atlantic Mobile, where he was
responsible for corporate marketing, advertising, new product
development, and fraud prevention and control. In this position, he
developed and directed the strategy for marketing the carrier's
wireless products and services in its service area, from Maine to
Georgia.

Prior to this, Stratton, was regional vice president-retail sales and
operations for the company's largest market, the New York/New Jersey
metro region, since 1995. There, he was responsible for managing the
company's growing chain of communications stores and telemarketing in
New York and northern New Jersey. His efforts helped earn the company
New York Magazine's "Best of New York" distinction in the greater New
York/northern New Jersey area.

Stratton first joined Bell Atlantic Mobile in 1993, after serving as
vice president of merchandising for Jersey Camera, a regional camera
and electronics retail chain, where he oversaw purchasing and
marketing. Before that, he held various management positions within
major consumer electronics retailers.

Bell Atlantic Mobile is the largest wireless service provider on the
East Coast and the second largest in the United States. The company
owns and operates the most extensive network in the East, covering
111,000 square miles, and the largest chain of wireless retail outlets
offering a full range of wireless personal communications services,
including voice, data and paging. Based in Bedminster, NJ, Bell
Atlantic Mobile has more than 5 million customers and 7,000 employees
in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and- through a separate
subsidiary - the Southwest. Through its "Wireless at Work..."
community relations program, which includes HopeLine voice mail
service, Bell Atlantic Mobile uses its wireless technology to help
individuals and communities improve security and emergency
communications.