New pre-paid wireless calling cards the way to go wireless without monthly fees of bills

ORANGEBURG, NY -- Beginning Monday, November 17, Bell Atlantic Mobile will offer a new wireless service that lets consumers pay in advance for their wireless phone calls. Called MobileMinutes^SM, this service will appeal to many first-time wireless users, families who want a second wireless phone and people who prefer a pre-paid option like the increasingly popular highway toll passes, commuter tickets and bank debit cards.

MobileMinutes is convenient and predictable because it offers consumers control over what they spend on wireless service throughout Bell Atlantic Mobile's high quality East Coast footprint. There's no contract to sign, no monthly access fee and no bills -- features that make the service a logical choice for people with hectic lifestyles. MobileMinutes also is a great gift idea because the wireless phone and service can be purchased all-in-one and are ready to use instantly.

"MobileMinutes is a welcome option for people with a fast-paced schedule who want a streamlined service and for those looking for the latest holiday gift idea," said Julie Dobson, president of Bell Atlantic Mobile's NY/NJ metro region. "MobileMinutes is a true pre-paid service because you never pay more than you choose to, unlike other offerings in the market which are really price plans in disguise."

A customer pays $149.99 for a package that includes a wireless phone and a MobileMinutes phone card, good for close to an hour of local wireless calling. Local calls are debited at $.85 per minute and wireless long distance calls at an additional $.25 per minute. A "whisper tone" announcement alerts customers to the balance remaining on their MobileMinutes card each time they make a call and a reminder tone alerts them as their account balance hits the four-minute mark, with one long reminder tone every minute thereafter. Once you purchase the phone, additional MobileMinutes cards are available in $50 increments.

Customers can buy MobileMinutes at more than 40 Bell Atlantic Mobile Communications Stores and kiosks, and at hundreds of company retailers and agents. Additional cards may be purchased at any of those locations, too.

Bell Atlantic Mobile is the largest wireless service provider on the East Coast and the second largest in the United States. The company owns and operates the most extensive network in the East, covering 111,000 square miles, and the largest chain of retail outlets offering a full range of wireless personal communications services, including voice, data, and paging. Based in Bedminster, NJ, Bell Atlantic Mobile has more than 5 million customers and 7,000 employees in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and, through a separate subsidiary, in the Southwest. The company is the chief wireless subsidiary of the new Bell Atlantic, formed through the merger of Bell Atlantic (NYSE: BEL) and NYNEX (NYSE: NYN) corporations.