Omnitel Signs With Elsag Bailey for Global Satellite Service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 1996

BELL ATLANTIC'S ITALIAN WIRELESS GSM OPERATOR, OMNITEL,
SIGNS WITH
ELSAG BAILEY FOR GLOBAL SATELLITE SERVICE

Milan, Italy -- Omnitel, a Bell Atlantic investment and
Italy's new
GSM operator, has announced a commercial agreement with Elsag Bailey
to provide Globalstar service for GSM systems. Globalstar is a
satellite-based service which gives GSM customers wireless access in
remote areas of the globe and allows Omnitel to offer the potential
for worldwide roaming. The agreement calls for Omnitel to be
Globalstar's exclusive commercial GSM agent for Italy.

The Globalstar system uses a network of 48 satellites orbiting the
earth at an altitude of 1,400 kilometers to provide blanket coverage
for voice, data, and positioning services. The system is scheduled to
begin operation in 1998, with an estimated 20,000 customers by the
year 2000.

"The commercial agreement for our dual-mode Globalstar/GSM service
is
an important step in our strategy to offer a cost-effective solution
for seamless world-wide roaming to one of the world's great business
traveler markets," said Tom Bartlett, president and
CEO of Bell
Atlantic International Wireless. "Globalstar's broad coverage will
complement Omnitel's ability to support capacity for the fast-growing
cellular customer base in Italy."

Elsag Bailey is a company of the Italian-based Finmeccanica Group and
is a leader in process and services automation and an operator of
value-added telecommunication services. The company is a major
partner in the Globalstar consortium and will manage the satellite-
based telecommunication service in Italy, Germany, and in 15 countries
in Eastern Europe.

Globalstar is an international consortium that groups companies active
in the aerospace sector such as Loral, Qualcomm, and Alenia Spazio,
alongside major international cellular operators such as AirTouch,
Vodafone, and France Telecom through its subsidiary Tesam.

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.

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Media contact:

Steve Fleischer, 215-963-6822
steve.fleischer@bell-atl.com

Brian Wood, 215-963-6204
brian.r.wood@bell-atl.com