Northern Telecom Announces InformationExpress/Small Business Access

Northern Telecom Annouces InformationExpress/Small Business Access

Washington, DC - Northern Telecom
(Nortel), together
with Bell Atlantic and CICAT Networks, announced today at COMNET
InformationExpress / Small Business Access (SBA), an ISDN Internet
access program for Internet service providers (ISPs) in the Bell
Atlantic region. InformationExpress /SBA provides a method for the
ISP to cost effectively reach the small business market segment.

Nortel will offer commercial incentives on ISDN equipment to
qualifying ISPs, as well as assistance in identifying potential small
business customers to facilitate the ISP's marketing efforts. The
ISDN access equipment will be connected to Bell Atlantic's ISDN
Primary Rate Interface (PRI) service through a Nortel DMS-100 central
office switch.

The Small Business Access program is part of Nortel's
InformationExpress marketing initiative, which aims to improve the
speed and quality of connections to the Internet and other information
services, and to help drive down the cost and complexity of obtaining
those connections.

"Until now the small business segment has had to utilize expensive
T1
or private line access to get started with Internet service. ISDN
Internet access allows a quick connection to the Internet and provides
high speed Internet access starting at 64Kbps or 128Kbps over a
standard local telephone line using ISDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI)
service from Bell Atlantic", said Stephen Cunningham, Director
Market
Development, Nortel. CICAT will address the ISDN technical issues for
the ISP and small business market. CICAT will provide technical
support to the ISP for configuring, installing and operating the ISDN
PRI equipment and furnish hardware and installation support for the
small business customer. CICAT will participate in regional seminars
to educate small business customers on "How to get a high speed
connection to the Internet", the subject of a recently published
book
by CICAT on ISDN.

"With the Bell Atlantic ISDN Anywhere program and low cost-high
bandwidth Internet service, business customers will migrate rapidly
away from slower modem connections to ISDN to benefit from the
unmitigated value of the World Wide Web and other data intensive
applications" said Bryant Dunetz, President of CICAT Networks.

Bell Atlantic will provide ISDN connectivity through its network of
PRI and BRI interfaces. "ISDN is quickly emerging as an Internet
access solution for small businesses because it provides high-end
speed and reliability at an affordable price. We will be working with
Northern Telecom, CICAT and the ISP community to develop attractive
ISDN-based application packages designed specifically for small
businesses", said Pat D'Innocenzo, Bell Atlantic product
manager-ISDN.

Nortel, Bell Atlantic and CICAT are working together to further the
availability of ISDN access to the Internet through ISPs in the Bell
Atlantic Region.

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 communications
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.

CICAT Networks specializes in ISDN and related digital technology,
products and services. CICAT develops communications protocol
software for both BRI and PRI hardware, conducts ISDN product testing,
and has pioneered the introduction of ISDN applications throughout the
Bell Atlantic region, including remote LAN access, video conferencing
and Internet access. CICAT serves a diverse client base in the
Washington and Baltimore Metropolitan areas as well as Fortune 500
communications companies around the world. CICAT is an authorized
Bell Atlantic dealer and distributor of leading ISDN terminal
adapters, bridges, routers and enterprise network hubs.

Nortel is one of the world's most broadly diversified developers of
communications products, systems and networks. Its operations are
focused on three key market segments: Enterprise Networks, Wireless
Networks, and Carrier Networks (switching, broadband, and network
applications). Nortel provides equipment, services and network
solutions for information, entertainment, and communications networks
operated by telephone companies, personal and mobile
telecommunications companies, cable TV companies, corporations,
governments, universities and other institutions worldwide.

Nortel had 1995 revenues of $US 10.7 billion and has approximately
60,000 employees worldwide.

For more information on Bell Atlantic, visit their home page at
http://www.ba.com For more information on CICAT,
visit their home page
at http://www.cicat.com. For more
information on Nortel, including the
recently announced Rapport portfolio for Internet access, visit their
home page at http://www.nortel.com. In addition,
information about
InformationExpress and the ISDN Internet Access Program is available
at Nortel's World Wide Web site http://www.isdn.nortel.net.

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To order or get more information about Bell Atlantic's business ISDN,
contact:

Bell Atlantic ISDN Sales and Technology Center,
1-800-570-ISDN(4736)
business.isdn@bell-atl.com

for media, contact:

Peter Polishuk, Nortel, 919-992-4295
peter.polishuk@nt.com

Bryant Dunetz, CICAT, 703-323-7696
cicat@cicat.com

Ells Edwards, Bell Atlantic, 302-576-5340
ellsworth.edwards@bell-atl.com