Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile adds new zones to Talkalong

PITTSBURGH, PA -- Hundreds of local residents signed up for Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile's TalkAlong service since its August introduction as the "affordable portable" with the lowest access rates available in Pittsburgh, the company announced today.

Response has been so positive that Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile is adding three new zones to the original two, giving consumers in western Pennsylvania who once thought they couldn't afford a cellular phone an even greater choice for personal wireless service.

"Customers told us that a low access fee was a top priority for their cellular needs," said Jerry Fountain, Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile regional vice president in Pittsburgh. "We broke a price barrier when we launched our two initial TalkAlong zones. The great response led to expanding the service into three more zones and giving residents in more counties the opportunity to use wireless service at a reduced cost."

Customers select a "local zone" and pay a basic monthly access charge of only $14.99 for TalkAlong. The original "East Zone" includes Allegheny, Westmoreland and Fayette counties; the original "West Zone" covers Allegheny, Beaver and Washington counties.

New TalkAlong zones in western Pennsylvania include Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile's coverage area in the following counties:

-- "North Zone": Allegheny, Butler, Beaver and Armstrong;

-- "South Zone": Allegheny, Washington, Greene and Fayette;

-- "Western Pennsylvania": McKean, Elk, Cameron, Jefferson,

Clearfield and Indiana.

Customers can make and receive calls in their local zone for $0.35 per airtime minute -- 25 to 30 percent lower than traditional cellular offerings. Outside their local zone, customers will be able to make and receive calls for $0.99 per airtime minute.

"TalkAlong really provides just what its name describes -- an around- town communicator," Fountain said. "We continue to see more growth in personal use of cellular phones, and TalkAlong certainly appeals to the general consumer and local business customer."

Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile, the largest wireless service provider on the East Coast, has its Pittsburgh Regional Headquarters in McCandless Township with stores in downtown Pittsburgh, North Hills, South Hills, Shadyside, Robinson Town Centre, Monroeville, Greensburg, Butler, Westmoreland Mall and kiosks in the Ross Park and Indiana malls.

NYNEX is a global communications and media company that provides a full range of services in the northeastern United States and high-growth markets around the world, including the United Kingdom, Thailand, Gibraltar, Greece, Indonesia, the Philippines, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

The Corporation is a leader in the telecommunications, wireless communications, cable television, directory publishing and entertainment and information services.