Bell Atlantic To Offer ADSL-Based Service Starting in Mid-1998

Bell Atlantic To Offer ADSL-Based Service Starting in Mid-1998

Company Selects DSC to Provide ADSL Equipment, Software

May 19, 1997

ARLINGTON, Va. - Bell Atlantic Network Services, Inc., today announced
that it has chosen DSC Communications to supply equipment and software
for the company's 1998 launch of a high-speed data communications
service for consumers using a technology called Asymmetric Digital
Subscriber Line (ADSL).

Bell Atlantic has already deployed DSC's Litespan*-2000 digital loop
carrier system in its network. Now, DSC will integrate ADSL
technology with this system to deliver more advanced services to Bell
Atlantic customers.

"Today's Internet applications are becoming rich in multimedia content
such as video and audio," said Fred D'Alessio, president-Bell Atlantic
Consumer Services. "Consumers are hungry for faster and faster speeds
to take advantage of this content and for telecommuting or remote
access to corporate computer networks. ADSL puts consumers in the seat
of a Ferrari, roaring past analog modem users still in the bicycle
lane.

"Our agreement with DSC furthers Bell Atlantic's commitment to serve
the needs of consumers for connectivity with a full palette of
high-speed consumer data services, including our popular and
universally available ISDN
(Integrated Services Digital Network)
service. With the deployment of advanced technology platforms such as
ADSL, we'll be offering an increasing array of high-bandwidth
services," he said.

Under a four-year contract with Bell Atlantic, DSC is working with
Westell Technologies to make the Litespan 2000 ADSL-capable. In
addition, DSC will provide Bell Atlantic with Westell's ADSL modems
that will connect with customers' computers in offices and homes. DSC
also will provide additional ADSL software and equipment.

The agreement calls for DSC to provide Bell Atlantic with the
technology to overcome existing distance limitations of ADSL
technology. Today, most loops longer than about three miles are
served via digital loop carrier systems, and until now, ADSL could not
work directly over these systems. DSC's system integrates ADSL into
its Litespan Digital Loop Carrier system, eliminating the distance
limitation.

"ADSL technology will be instrumental in providing more customers with
advanced data services," said Mike Pisterzi, vice president, DSC's
North American telco sales. "We are pleased that Bell Atlantic has
chosen to upgrade our flexible Litespan systems to support ATM-based
ADSL. Litespan is a highly reliable, affordable and efficient access
platform that allows a smooth evolution from narrowband to broadband
applications, including ADSL."

Bell Atlantic plans to begin offering an ADSL-based data service for
consumers in mid-1998, followed shortly thereafter by a business
offering. The company is evaluating pricing and deployment locations.
By the end of the decade, Bell Atlantic expects ADSL service to be the
leading high-speed, network access service in the consumer market.

With ADSL, consumers have high-speed data communications capability
over regular telephone lines. And, unlike cable modems, ADSL provides
dedicated bandwidth and secure communications.

The service will allow users to receive data from the Internet, or to
connect to their office's local area network, at speeds up to 6
megabits per second (Mbps). That's 100 times faster than today's
fastest analog telephone modem, which receives data at a rate of 56
kilobits per second (Kbps).

Bell Atlantic currently is conducting a market trial of
ADSL-based
Internet access in northern Virginia with about 250 consumers to test
their use of and reaction to ADSL technology. The trial, which began
last September, is expected to continue through June.

"Participants in the trial are thrilled with the speed and value this
service adds to their online experience as well as the quality of Bell
Atlantic's ADSL data service," said D'Alessio. "The market trial is
giving us a lot of very useful information that's helping us formulate
our rollout strategy."

Deployment of ADSL technology by Bell Atlantic and other local
exchange companies has the potential to alleviate some of the pressure
that the tremendous increase in Internet usage is placing on the
public switched telephone network. ADSL technology allows the data
traffic that flows to and from a user's PC to be connected directly to
a packet switch or router, and sent over an efficient high-speed
packet data network, thus keeping such traffic from congesting the
public switched network, which is engineered for voice telephone
calls.

Industry analysts predict that 20 percent of consumers will have
high-speed data connections within the next five years. With 11.5
million households in its mid-Atlantic service area, Bell Atlantic
believes ADSL-based data service will play a significant role with
that fast-growing market.

"Our ISDN customers will find it easy and affordable to upgrade to
ADSL," said D'Alessio. "And our customers who use analog modems today
for Internet access and connectivity also will find it easy to upgrade
to higher bandwidth services. It's a tremendous market opportunity and
we expect to be the market leader with a number of high-speed digital
solutions."

Bell Atlantic is the country's premier provider of ISDN technology,
serving 206,000 customers at business and home. ISDN, which is
available throughout Bell Atlantic's mid-Atlantic service area, allows
users to transmit and receive data at speeds up to 128 Kbps over
existing phone lines. Currently, consumers are signing up for Bell
Atlantic's ISDN service at a record pace.

"ADSL will complement our ISDN offering," said D'Alessio. "With the
wide availability of ISDN, and the promise of ADSL's blazing speed,
consumers will be able to burn up the information superhighway."

DSC Communications Corp. is a global provider of advanced
telecommunications products, including digital switching,
transmission, access and network management systems. DSC's integrated
network solutions support voice, data and video services, such as
intelligent networking, wireless, Internet and switched digital video
applications. DSC has annual revenues of approximately $1.4 billion
and is active in more than 60 countries worldwide.

Bell Atlantic Corp. (NYSE: BEL) is at the forefront of the new
communications, entertainment and information industry. In the
mid-Atlantic region, Bell Atlantic's telephone company subsidiaries
are the premier providers 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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* Litespan is a registered trademark of DSC Communications Corp.