Bell Atlantic.Net Service Now Available in Richmond

Bell Atlantic.Net Service Now Available in Richmond

First-Time Subscribers Offered 30 Days Unlimited Internet
Access at No Charge¹

March 13, 1997

RICHMOND, Va. -- Consumers, professionals and small
businesses in
Richmond now have a new way to make connections in cyberspace -- via
Bell
Atlantic.net^SM, an easy-to-use,
value-added dial-up Internet
access service. For those who sign up now, the offer includes an
introductory trial period of 30 days unlimited Internet access at no
charge.

Bell Atlantic.net makes using the Internet as easy as making a
phone
call. The services' simple-to-use navigation and information
directories link customers to useful resources, events, organizations
and services in their local community, so anyone can plan a week-end
vacation, research day care options or find helpful information on
running a small business. Bell Atlantic.net also provides easy
access to the best of global resources, places and information in
hundreds of interest areas.

"There are a myriad of interesting and informative Web sites right
in
our own backyards," said Bob
Beran, president - Bell Atlantic Internet
Solutions. "Whether they are experienced users or novices, Bell
Atlantic.net subscribers will find our service gives them easy access
to this local information, as well as to thousands of other global
sites on the Internet."

Bell Atlantic.net features the Netscape Navigator* browser and
will
add the Microsoft** Internet Explorer browser in the near future, to
provide increased customer choice. Bell Atlantic.net subscribers
will
also have access to Cyber Patrol***, a tool that enables parents to
manage and control their children's Internet access, at a sharply
discounted rate. Communications services for staying in touch with
family, friends and colleagues are also readily accessible, including
e-mail, chat and newsgroups. The service is backed by superior
customer service and technical support available 24 hours a day, seven
days a week, with the high reliability customers have come to expect
from Bell Atlantic.

Designed to meet both personal and business needs, Bell
Atlantic.net
will help business users find information and resources to start, run
and/or grow their business. It will provide access to news, market,
networking and technology information necessary for a business to stay
competitive. Communication among workers, suppliers and customers
will also be simplified.

The price for Bell Atlantic.net is as low as $19.95 per month for
unlimited access, depending on the customer's choice of Global Service
Provider (GSP). The fee for a Global Service Provider, a company
providing the interexchange portion of the service, can run as low as
$2 a month for unlimited access. There also is a yearly plan and an
hourly plan for Bell Atlantic.net. The yearly plan enables
customers
to realize a monthly savings of eight percent by signing up for one
year of unlimited access. Under the hourly plan, users can pay as low
as $6.95 a month for five hours (depending on the GSP chosen), plus
$1.95 for each additional hour.

These rates for unlimited access apply for both analog modem access
and ISDN (Integrated Services
Digital Network) access. ISDN, which is
available to most Bell Atlantic telephone subscribers, provides
dial-up connection to the Internet that is up to 10 times faster than
the typical modem dial-up connection.

The minimum system requirements for Bell Atlantic.net are either:

• a 386 Intel-equipped, IBM-compatible PC², 8 megabytes of memory, 6
  megabytes of free hard disk space, a 14.4 kilobits-per-second (kbs)
  modem, and a 3 1/2 inch floppy disk drive or a CD-ROM drive; or ...

• a 608030 Motorola-equipped Macintosh, 16 megabytes of memory, 10
  megabytes of free hard disk space, a 14.4 kbs modem, and a CD-ROM
  drive.

Bell Atlantic.net currently works with Microsoft Windows** 3.1,
3.11
and Windows 95**, and Macintosh**** OS7.1 or higher. Macintosh Open
Transport users must have version 1.1 or higher.

Customers interested in ordering a copy of Bell Atlantic.net
software
and subscribing to Bell Atlantic's Internet access service can call
1-800-NET-2026. For more information on the service,
customers can
visit the company's Web site at http://www.bellatlantic.net. For
information regarding Bell Atlantic's ISDN service, customers can call
Bell Atlantic InfoSpeed on 1-800-204-7332.

Internet Services for Large and Small Businesses Available

High-speed, dedicated Internet access services and Web services that
enable businesses and governments to establish a presence on the World
Wide Web also are available in Richmond.

Dedicated business access services are offered with a choice of
speeds, ranging from 56 kilobits per second to 34 megabits per second.
Web services include Web site production, hosting and security
services. Bell Atlantic also offers consulting and network
integration services that provide expert aid to businesses and other
large organizations that require support in the planning, design,
procurement and management of their Internet connections and presence.

Bell Atlantic Internet Solutions, Inc. is the unit of Bell Atlantic
that develops and delivers a full range of Internet services to
businesses, governments and consumers -- from Internet access to
electronic mail to World Wide Web site production and hosting.

Bell Atlantic Corp. (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.

*Trademark of Netscape Communications Corp.
** Trademark of Microsoft Corp.
*** Trademark of Microsystems Software, Inc.
**** Trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.

¹ Global Service Provider
charges may apply. Subject to certain
restrictions.

² Some other systems may also be
compatible.

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