GTE continues to make it easier for customers to enjoy high-speed Internet access. Waives one-time installation fees for DSL service through the remainder of the year.

IRVING, Texas - GTE has waived the one-time installation fees for its high-speed Internet access currently offered in 17 states. By dropping the installation fees for the remainder of the year, GTE expects to accelerate customers' move to the high-speed, "always on" service.

"Customer demand for super-fast Internet access is exploding," said Rob McCoy, president of retail markets for GTE Network Services. GTE recently introduced its $49.95 Bronze Plus package, which offers speeds of up to 768 kilobits per second (kbps). "We've found that once people use DSL, they quickly get hooked on how it allows them to work better and faster. Waiving the DSL installation fees makes our service even more attractive and will help many more people move into the fast lane on the Internet."

When ordering DSL, consumer and business customers typically pay installation fees to their local telephone company for the telephone line on which their DSL service operates, and to their Internet service provider (ISP) that gives them Internet access.

Between now and December 31, GTE local telephone customers who order DSL from any of the 248 ISPs that have partnered with GTE to offer DSL will not pay network access installation fees. Such fees previously ranged from $99 to $340 per customer. In addition, GTE local telephone customers who order DSL through GTE.net, the company's consumer and small business ISP, will not be charged the one-time Internet access fees, which previously totaled $50 per customer. Approximately, 25 percent of GTE's ADSL customers order service through GTE.net. GTE Internetworking has also eliminated the one-time installation charge for its business-grade DSL service, which previously cost $199.

Eliminating the up-front cost

The waiver enables GTE DSL customers to receive the following at no cost:

GTE continues to offer the industry's widest and most flexible array of DSL products and services. Its DSL service packages include speeds up to 1.5 megabits per second, 50 times faster than a 28.8 kpbs modem. Prices for GTE's DSL service begin at $49.95 per month, including Internet access from GTE.net. In addition to a DSL service for businesses, GTE Internetworking also offers a national aggregation and transport service.

GTE Network Services, the company's incumbent local exchange carrier, currently offers DSL in 39 markets in California, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. Roughly 60 percent of GTE's local phone customers live or work in areas where service is available, and the company continues to expand its DSL footprint.

For more information on GTE's entire DSL service offerings, call toll-free 1-877-483-5070 or visit http://www.gte.com/aboutgte/docs/adslserviceofferings.html. A Webcast demonstration of GTE's DSL capabilities can be accessed at http://www.gte.com/dsl/resdemo.

About GTE

With 1998 revenues of more than $25 billion, GTE is a leading telecommunications provider with one of the industry's broadest arrays of products and services. In the United States, GTE provides local service in 28 states and wireless service in 18 states, as well as nationwide long-distance, directory, and internetworking services ranging from dial-up Internet access for residential and small-business consumers to Web-based applications for Fortune 500 companies. Outside the United States, the company serves customers on five continents. Additional information about GTE can be obtained at http://www.gte.com.

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