New Residential ISDN Pricing Cuts in MD and DC

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 3, 1996

NEW RESIDENTIAL ISDN PRICING TO CUT MONTHLY RATES AND
INSTALLATION CHARGES IN MARYLAND; REDUCED PRICES PROPOSED
IN DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Bell Atlantic to Lower Rates 15 to 86 Percent
for Consumer Access to Cyberspace


ARLINGTON, VA - Consumers soon will be able to get
high-speed access
to cyberspace from home at prices 15 to 86 percent below current rates
for Bell Atlantic's residential ISDN (Integrated Services Digital
Network)
service as a result of a new usage pricing plan filed by the
company today in Maryland and Washington, D.C.

New lower prices will be available to Bell Atlantic residential
customers in Maryland this summer, pending approval by the state's
public utility commission.

In the District of Columbia, the ISDN pricing packages filed today
replace the proposed pricing that was filed last October with the D.C.
Public Service Commission. The commission must first approve the
company's request before Bell Atlantic can offer ISDN service to
consumers in Washington, D.C.

Bell Atlantic filed similar ISDN rate
reductions
for residential
customers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Virginia in April.
These filings are under consideration by individual state regulatory
commissions. The company plans to file rate reductions in West
Virginia early this summer.

"Our new pricing will help create a true mass market for ISDN,"
said
Fred D'Alessio,
Bell Atlantic Consumer Services president. "Bell
Atlantic's proposal has a package priced to meet every need so that
consumers can enjoy significantly faster access to the Internet,
on-line services and corporate computer networks."

New pricing plans for monthly residential ISDN service will include
five packages ranging from 20 to 500 hours of B-channel use. The
20-hour package costs $31, a 40 percent reduction over Bell Atlantic's
current peak rates. The 500-hour package is $120, an 81 percent
reduction over the company's current peak rates.

For example, consumers who buy the 20-hour package can get 10 hours if
they use both B channels or 20 hours when they use one B channel.

For those who need to have an ISDN data connection 24 hours a day,
seven days a week, Bell Atlantic will offer an unlimited ISDN usage
package for $249 monthly, an 86 percent reduction off the current peak
rate.

Consumers who plan to use ISDN for only a few hours a month will be
able to buy measured service for $23.50 monthly plus the standard
usage fee of 2 cents per minute per B channel during peak hours or 1
cent per minute per B channel during off-peak hours. This is a
reduction of about 15 percent on current monthly rates. (See attached
chart for further details.)
Peak time is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday
through Friday. Off-peak times are evenings and weekends. In
additional to Washington, D.C., and Maryland, measured service also
will be available to residential customers in Virginia, West Virginia
and New Jersey.

With the new pricing plan, the installation charge will be $125, a 25
percent reduction off current installation charges for most customers.

The new pricing plans and the monthly rates are as follows:

Measured - $23.50 plus usage fee
20 hours - $31
60 hours - $45
140 hours - $60
300 hours - $90
500 hours - $120
Unlimited - $249

Customers who use more B-channel time than the package they select
will pay the standard usage fee for the additional time -- 2 cents per
minute per B channel weekdays (peak time) and 1 cent per minute per B
channel at other times (off-peak).

"We're striving to make advanced telecommunications services as
affordable as possible for our customers whether they're browsing the
Internet, telecommuting or going on-line," said Curt Koeppen, Bell
Atlantic vice president - ISDN.

The new ISDN pricing packages will be available only to residential
customers. However, the company anticipates that by late summer,
similar rates will be available to home-based businesses and
businesses that pay for ISDN service provided to employees who work
from home.

Currently, Bell Atlantic's residential customers pay an average of $28
monthly for ISDN service, plus usage charges of 2 cents per minute per
B channel during peak hours and 1 cent per minute per B channel
off-peak hours.

ISDN provides consumers who telecommute, surf the Internet or use
on-line services with a quicker way to transmit and download data,
graphics and images. With additional software and hardware for their
PCs, consumers who telecommute can easily and quickly collaborate on
projects with co-workers in other locations.

ISDN is an all-digital network technology that combines voice, data
and video signals on a single telephone line, and transmits them at
speeds up to 128 kilobits per second (Kbps) - or as high as 500 Kbps
with common compression techniques available in some of the
ISDN-capable equipment. When compared with 14.4 Kbps analog modems,
the increase in speed can be up to nine-fold.

ISDN provides two B channels that transmit data at 64 Kbps each plus a
D channel that carries signaling for the B channels. Consumers may
use one or both B channels. For example, data may be sent at 128 Kbps
when both B channels are used. With one B channel, data is transmitted
at 64 Kbps while the other channel is available for a telephone call
or sending a fax.

Bell Atlantic offers consumers one-stop shopping for ISDN - from the
initial service order through installation. Consumers who order ISDN
service will need ISDN-capable equipment, called terminal adapters or
ISDN modems, that allow their computers to transmit and receive data
at higher speeds. Bell Atlantic offers several brands of terminal
adapters, including the US Robotics-Bell Atlantic Sportster® ISDN
128K, for prices beginning at $275. Bell Atlantic's prices are
significantly lower than the manufacturers' list prices which begin at
$495. Bell Atlantic also will install, for an additional charge, the
necessary inside wiring and ISDN terminal adapter.

To order or receive information about Bell Atlantic's residential ISDN
service, customers can call the Bell Atlantic InfoSpeed sales,
provisioning and service center at 1-800-204-7332 Monday
through
Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Customers also can send an e-mail
message to isdncin@bell-atl.com. Information also
is available on
Bell Atlantic's residential ISDN home page at
http://www.bell-atl.com/isdn/consumer.

Bell Atlantic has installed almost 160,000 ISDN lines for business,
government and residential customers throughout its mid-Atlantic
service territory. The company is the largest supplier of local ISDN
access lines in the nation.

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.

Media contact:


Residential ISDN Pricing Chart for MD and DC


News Release: Bell
Atlantic Files for Lower Residential ISDN Rates in NJ, DE, PA and VA


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