Bell Atlantic Mobile's E-Store Goes Bi-Coastal

Bell Atlantic Mobile's E-Store Goes Bi-Coastal

Company Continues to Innovate E-Shopping;
First Service Provider To Offer Accessories Nationwide

April 19, 1999

BEDMINSTER, NJ -- Bell Atlantic Mobile has opened the doors of its
Internet store very wide -- nationwide. In another e-commerce
breakthrough for the wireless industry, shoppers in the 48 contiguous
states, even if they are not a Bell Atlantic Mobile service subscriber, can
log onto the company's Online Store at www.bam.com and purchase
wireless phone accessories.

From car adapters to wireless modems, a full line of accessories is
available. As with all of the company's Online offerings, the accessory
order is processed immediately online -- from credit card authorization to
transmitting the order to the warehouse. The order is shipped that day,
free of charge to the customer, for two-day delivery.

"Accessories have been our most popular item online, similar to the
success other web retailers have had with items like books and CDs," said
Debra Carroll, vice president of marketing for Bell Atlantic Mobile.
"Moreover, the Internet is a logical and efficient way to expand our
distribution in anticipation of offering all our products and services
nationwide, including our popular SingleRate^sm price plans."

To accommodate accessory shoppers outside its footprint, as well as the
growing number of new and existing customers within its footprint who
want to sign on for first-time service or add lines to an existing account,
Bell Atlantic Mobile has "remodeled" its Online Store. Customers shop in
one or more of four main "aisles": wireless phones and service; prepaid
wireless service; prepaid wireless replenishment cards; and wireless
accessories, where there's a map of the entire US for shoppers to click on,
instead of just the east coast.

It's convenient and fast -- under five minutes for shoppers who know what
they want. And there's no paperwork. Customers get a receipt via e-mail
as soon as the order is placed, and again when it is shipped from the
warehouse.

A long-standing leader in distribution within the wireless industry, Bell
Atlantic Mobile opened the industry's first fully automated Online Store in
September 1998. More than a fancy e-mail system like some other sites,
the electronic store ties directly into the same strong "back office" systems
as the company's network of "physical" Communications Stores and other
distribution channels. With 200-plus company-owned stores, Bell Atlantic
Mobile is one of the largest retailers -- not just wireless retailers -- on the
east coast.

The addition of e-commerce benefits both customers and the company.
Customers benefit from the convenience of a simple, secure online
purchase experience without human intervention. Bell Atlantic Mobile
benefits from the low-cost and broad reach of distributing products and
services over the Internet. Since Bell Atlantic Mobile's Internet store was
first launched, it has been visited by almost a million customers, and daily
hits are steadily increasing.

"By leveraging our Online Store as a distribution channel for wireless
accessories to a nationwide customer base, Bell Atlantic Mobile is seizing
strong growth opportunities in terms of revenue and nationwide brand
recognition and leadership," Carroll said.

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In the New York, Boston, Washington/Baltimore and Pittsburgh markets,
Bell Atlantic Mobile was named leader in overall customer satisfaction
among wireless users, according to the prestigious J.D. Power and
Associates 1998 U.S. Wireless Customer Satisfaction Study^sm.

Bell Atlantic Mobile owns and operates the largest wireless network in the
East, covering 120,000 square miles, and the largest chain of retail outlets
devoted exclusively to wireless voice, data and paging. Based in
Bedminster, NJ, Bell Atlantic Mobile has 6.2 million customers and 8,000
employees from Maine to Georgia and, through a separate subsidiary, in
the Southwest. Through its "Wireless at Work..." community service
program, the company uses its technology to help individuals and
communities improve security and emergency communications. Bell
Atlantic Mobile's parent is one of the world's largest wireless
communications companies, with domestic operations in 25 states and
international investments in Mexico, Europe and the Pacific Rim. For
more information on Bell Atlantic Mobile visit: www.bam.com; on global
operations visit: www.bellatlantic.com/worldwide.