BELL ATLANTIC RECRUITS INTERNET AND ON-LINE SERVICES PROVIDERS TO HELP MARKET RESIDENTIAL ISDN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 1996

BELL ATLANTIC RECRUITS INTERNET AND ON-LINE SERVICES
PROVIDERS
TO HELP MARKET RESIDENTIAL ISDN

New Program Rewards Providers for Customer Referrals

Arlington, VA -- Bell Atlantic today launched a unique
referral
program designed to promote use of Integrated Services Digital Network
(ISDN) technology by its residential customers who use the Internet.
Under the program, Internet service providers (ISPs) and on-line
service providers will receive $15 for each residential customer they
refer to Bell Atlantic who signs up for the high-speed digital
telephone service.

"We believe our new referral program will benefit Internet service
providers, customers and Bell Atlantic," said Curt Koeppen, Bell
Atlantic vice president-ISDN. "ISPs need to offer higher speed and
higher quality data services to attract and keep customers, consumers
want to enjoy the services they spend time and money on, and Bell
Atlantic wants to give customers another reason to use ISDN at
home,"
Koeppen said.

ISDN, recently introduced by Bell Atlantic in the residential market,
improves the speed and quality of cybersurfers'on-line time. The
digital service integrates voice, data and video signals on a single,
high-speed digital phone line and can support transmissions up to nine
times faster than regular analog phone lines. This allows users to
quickly download large data files or complex graphics. ISDN provides
high-speed access to the Internet as well as access to remote
computers and LANs (corporate computer networks).

Participants in the referral program will include current or future
ISPs and on-line service providers who support dial-up ISDN service
for consumers in at least some part of the Bell Atlantic service area.
ISPs may promote Bell Atlantic's ISDN service to their customers in
many ways -- such as establishing a hyper-text, one-way link from
their World Wide Web site to Bell Atlantic's home page, sending an
e-mail message to their high-volume customers in the Bell Atlantic
service area or sending direct mail advertising to prospective
customers noting how ISDN service can enhance the customer's use of
the ISP's Internet service.

Bell Atlantic offers residential customers one-stop shopping for ISDN,
including a full range of competitively priced equipment and
installation services required for ISDN use at home. To get more
information, Bell Atlantic customers may call the Bell Atlantic
InfoSpeed center at 1-800-204-7332 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.
to 8 p.m.

ISDN service currently is available to Bell Atlantic residential
customers in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland
and West Virginia. Bell Atlantic's request to offer ISDN service to
consumers in Washington, D.C. is awaiting approval from the D.C.
Public Service Commission.

Internet service providers who want more information about the Bell
Atlantic ISDN referral program may visit a special World Wide Web site
at http://www.bell-atl.com/referral or call 1-703-974-2978.
Information about ISDN for residential customers also is available on
Bell Atlantic's WWW site (
http://www.bell-atl.com/isdn/consumer).
Small business customers can get information about ISDN by visiting the
WWW site at http://www.bell-atl.com/isdn/sbs
or calling the Bell
Atlantic sales and technology center at 1-800-570-ISDN (4736).

Bell Atlantic Corporation (NYSE: BEL) is at the forefront of the new
communications, entertainment and information industry. In the
mid-Atlantic region, the company is the premier provider 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.

####

Media contact:

Ells Edwards, 302-576-5340
ellsworth.edwards@bell-atl.com