GTE Teams with Visual Networks to Offer Managed Services

IRVING, Tx and ROCKVILLE, Md. - GTE Communications Corporation, a unit of GTE Corp., and Visual Networks
, Inc. (NASDAQ: VNWK) today announced an alliance to offer managed services to help corporate customers manage their disparate networks. The new services, FrameWatch^SM and SiteWatch^SM, utilize Visual Networks' Visual UpTime
WAN Service Level Management System and are available immediately to all GTECC customers.

"GTE Managed Solutions greatly enhances our customers' experience with enterprise networks by meeting demands for industry-leading management solutions and providing customers with a single point of accountability for managing LAN, WAN, and client/server applications," said Tom Roche, group marketing manager - LAN/WAN & video solutions for GTE Communications. "As the leader for frame relay service level management systems, Visual UpTime meets our high standards for service level management and reporting, allowing us to efficiently manage our customer's critical frame relay networks."

GTE Communications FrameWatch is a carrier-connectivity management service, providing businesses reliable and cost-effective frame relay management. For FrameWatch customers, GTE Communications will be responsible for managing and monitoring the frame relay service, including service level agreements (SLA), carrier escalation, and trouble resolution. Each frame relay circuit in the customer's network will be terminated with a Visual UpTime Analysis Service Element (ASE), providing planning, monitoring, and troubleshooting information to the customer premise, including CSU/DSU functionality.

"GTE shares our vision that public network services must be deployed and maintained with intelligent management at the customer premises. GTE's selection of Visual UpTime shows their commitment to provide their customers with leading management information, from network planning to service level validation," said Bruce Olson, vice president of service provider operations, Visual Networks. "Visual UpTime is the only product today capable of meeting the information management requirements of the enterprise user and the scalability and operational support needs of the network service provider."

GTE Communications SiteWatch is a LAN/WAN management service for businesses, including management of routers, switches and hubs, as well as the intelligent point of demarcation which is provided by the Visual UpTime ASE. GTE Communications assumes time consuming management tasks for the customer, allowing IT management to spend more time focusing on the strategic needs of their network. Additionally, GTE Communications will manage the customer's LAN/WAN solutions end-to-end, providing a single point of accountability.

FrameWatch and SiteWatch services are supported by the GTE Communications Enterprise Management Center (EMC) located in Austin, Texas. The EMC currently provides customers with 24 X 7 server, network operating system (NOS), desktop, and application support services.

Both the FrameWatch and SiteWatch services include configuration management, alarm monitoring, end-to-end network management, and carrier escalation. GTE Communications also will coordinate with the customer's maintenance providers to resolve LAN/WAN issues. Additionally, GTE Communications provides customers with monthly performance reports, helping IT management make sound decisions regarding present and future bandwidth requirements. Customers are able to choose from up to 70 reports detailing both operational and executive network performance data. GTE Communications includes assistance with analysis of performance reports with customers through its engineering support organization.

Managed Solutions extends GTE Corporation's strength in the communications marketplace where the company is currently a leader in voice, data, video, and internet solutions. GTE Corporation maintains industry expertise, gained through years of managing public switched, frame relay, and private networks, lending itself to industry leadership in network management services. GTE Corporation adds value by integrating multiple communications business platforms into single source solutions managed under the GTE Corporation umbrella using a combination of industry standard and enhanced GTE Corporation developed tool sets.

About Visual UpTime

Visual UpTime automates the collection, interpretation, and presentation of WAN service level management information. A key component of the system is the unique integration of expert WAN performance, measurement, and analysis functionality into network access equipment. The system, including an SQL database and client software, enables full access to real-time and historical performance data, full packet capture and protocol decode, bandwidth planning, as well as detailed reporting from the operational to executive level. In addition, Visual UpTime presents its management information in simple graphical formats while supporting a variety of management platforms, including web browsers.

About GTE

With 1997 revenues of more than $23 billion, GTE Corporation is one of the world's largest telecommunications companies and a leading provider of integrated telecommunications services. In the United States, GTE Corporation provides local service in 28 states and wireless service in 17 states; nationwide long-distance and internetworking services ranging from dial-up Internet access for residential and small-business consumers to Web-based applications for Fortune 500 companies, as well as video service in selected markets. Additional information about GTE Corporation can be found on the Internet at http://www.gte.com.

Outside the United States, the company serves more than 7 million telecommunications customers. GTE Corporation is also a leader in government and defense communications systems and equipment, directories and telecommunications-based information services, and aircraft-passenger telecommunications.

About Visual Networks

Visual Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: VNWK) designs, manufactures and sells WAN service level management systems for statistically multiplexed technologies such as frame relay, IP/Internet, and ATM. Visual Networks' Visual UpTime system combines WAN access functionality with innovative software for performance monitoring, troubleshooting and network planning. Visual UpTime provides instrumentation for network performance measurement and analysis that allows WAN service providers to achieve service levels required by subscribers and to lower operating costs associated with statistically multiplexed services. Visual Networks is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, with sales offices nationwide.

This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject to the safe harbor created by those sections. Visual Networks assumes no obligations to update the information contained in this press release. Visual Networks' future results may be impacted by its ability to implement its provider deployment model, its lengthy sales cycle, dependence on its major customers, risks associated with rapid technological change and the emerging services market, potential fluctuations in its quarterly operating results, its dependence on sole and limited source suppliers and fluctuations in component pricing and its dependence on key employees. Visual Networks' future results may be impacted by other risk factors listed from time to time in its SEC reports, including, but not limited to, the Company's prospectus dated August 5, 1998, its annual report on Form 10-K, and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

For more information about Visual Networks and Visual UpTime, contact Visual Networks, Inc., 2092 Gaither Road, Rockville, Maryland 20850, at (800) 240-4010, or via the World Wide Web at http://www.visualnetworks.com.

# # #