Bell Atlantic unveils Internet packages for businesses

Reston, Va. -- Business owners and managers looking for a simple, affordable way to get on and use the Internet can stop their search. Bell Atlantic today introduced the Bell Atlantic Connectivity Package and the Bell Atlantic Web Package, the first in a series of Internet offerings that bundle a number of capabilities into "turnkey" solutions -- Internet access, Web site hosting and creation, communications equipment and applications software.

The Bell Atlantic Connectivity is designed for the business focused most on using the Internet to increase productivity and reduce costs. The Bell Atlantic Web Package is geared toward the business whose priority is establishing a marketing presence on the Internet. Each Package is offered with a range of Internet access speeds and options.

"Bell Atlantic's business customers are telling us they want reliable and easy-to-implement solutions for connecting to and doing business on the Internet," said Myles Mendelsohn, vice president-Product Management for Bell Atlantic Internet Solutions. "With Bell Atlantic's Web and Connectivity Packages, customers have a simple, one-step process to make the Internet work for them. And customers can minimize their Internet-related operating expenses by having Bell Atlantic host and manage their Web site."

The standard Bell Atlantic Connectivity Package includes dedicated access to the Internet at speeds ranging from 56 kbps (kilobits per second) to 1.5 mbps (megabits per second), Web site hosting, weekly management reports summarizing Web site activity, Netscape Navigator* software, multiple electronic mail accounts and Usenet News access. An optional package adds multiple dial-up accounts for businesses with employees who work at remote locations or travel a great deal. Connectivity Package customers also have available to them a variety of installation and maintenance options tailored to meet their needs.

The standard Bell Atlantic Web Package brings together in one solution Web site hosting and weekly management reports summarizing Web site activity coupled with dial-up Internet access accounts and Netscape Navigator* software. An optional set of security services are also available, including firewall integration, security analysis and policy development, and system architecture development.

Bell Atlantic provides Domain Name registration services to customers of either Package and, as an added convenience, help with registering a customer's Web site with the various search engines on the Internet.

Pricing for the Bell Atlantic Connectivity Package starts as low as $460 a month** under a three-year contract for a solution that includes high-speed, 56 kbps dedicated access to the Internet, e-mail for ten employees and Web site hosting that gives the business a presence on the World Wide Web. Bell Atlantic Web Package prices start as low as $77 a month** with a three-year contract for Web site hosting and one dial-up Internet access account.

All Bell Atlantic packages have one-, two-, and three-year contract options and are backed by 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week technical support. The packages are currently available in more than a half dozen mid-Atlantic markets, including northern and southern New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, the Washington, D.C. area and southwestern Virginia.

Companies and organizations interested in the Bell Atlantic Connectivity Package, Bell Atlantic Web Package, or other services can contact their Bell Atlantic representative or call 1 800 NET-2026 for more information. Customers also can visit Bell Atlantic Internet Solutions' Web site at http://www.bellatlantic.net to find out more about these packages and other Internet services.

Bell Atlantic Internet Solutions is a new unit of Bell Atlantic created to develop and deploy a complete line of Internet-based solutions for businesses, governments and consumers. 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.

1 Excluding Global Service Provider charge.

* Trademark of Netscape Communications Corp.

** Prices quoted include an estimated charge for a Global Service Provider.