Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile And Boston Edison Team Up To Improve Customer Service Using New Wireless Data Technology

Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile And Boston Edison Team Up To Improve Customer Service Using New Wireless Data Technology

July 28, 1997

Boston, MA -- Boston Edison Company customers will be the first in
New England to enjoy improved customer service thanks to advanced
wireless data technology from Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile. Beginning
today, Boston Edison's electrical service business unit will use
pen-based computers to send and receive real-time information on
customer orders over Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile's AirBridge®
cellular digital packet data (CDPD) network, improving their
efficiency and effectiveness.

The new automated system allows field personnel to directly receive
real-time information on customer requests, maintenance orders,
collection orders and customer billing history. Once a job is
completed, details are entered into a pen-based, portable computer and
sent back, real-time via CDPD, to the appropriate databases.

The wireless connection to Boston Edison's field service specialists
will improve overall response time to customers, reduce order
processing time, improve accuracy, increase productivity, and lower
the number of recurring orders -- all adding up to improved customer
satisfaction and significant cost savings as well.

"In a changing marketplace for utilities, Boston Edison has taken a
step forward by investing in technologically-advanced systems that
will help us enhance the productivity of our work force and quality of
work for our customers. Wireless data systems will help us improve
customer service for the large community that Boston Edison serves,"
said Gerald Mata, Boston Edison Company's Field Service project
manager. "Boston Edison chose Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile's CDPD
technology over a number of wireless services tested. CDPD was found
to be the best fit for Boston Edison's high throughput requirements,"
added Mata.

"Wireless CDPD technology represents a new way for utilities to become
more competitive, especially as deregulation approaches and more
players enter the market," said Jack Plating, president, Bell Atlantic
NYNEX Mobile's Northeast region. "CDPD has proven itself in a range
of applications, such as telemetry and field sales automation,
providing organizations in both the public and private sectors with a
solution for re-engineering the way they work," added Plating.

CDPD provides efficient and secure transmission of short bursts, or
"packets" of data over the existing cellular infrastructure. The Bell
Atlantic NYNEX Mobile/Boston Edison alliance represents the growing
acceptance of CDPD as a new technology for field automation. Several
other companies across the East Coast have already selected Bell
Atlantic NYNEX Mobile's CDPD technology to improve the way they
conduct business, including the Medford Police Department.

Note to Editors:

Bell Atlantic NYNEX 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 NYNEX Mobile has 4.9 million customers
and 6,500 employees in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and,
through a separate subsidiary, in the Southwest. The company was
formed in July, 1995, by combining the cellular operations of Bell
Atlantic Mobile and NYNEX Mobile.

**Photos Available Upon Request**