Online Yellow Pages Leader GTE SuperPages.com(R) Service Evolves Into a Premier Shopping Destination

Fresh, Intuitive Interface Provides One-Stop Online Shopping

DALLAS - GTE SuperPages.com (NYSE: GTE) is adopting a new image. The leading online Yellow Pages service today launched an extensively redesigned site with a comprehensive focus on online shopping. Building on its strong Yellow Pages foundation, SuperPages.com (http://superpages.com) now also boasts a better integration of shopping information and tools, allowing users to shop in many different ways and to more easily find the products and services they want.

Leveraging in-depth user feedback and research, the site redesign illustrates the continued execution of GTE Directories Corporation's long-term strategy for SuperPages.com, established in 1995. The company's strategy is to focus on enabling local e-commerce while offering consumers access to national businesses. To stay ahead of consumer demand, SuperPages.com plans further technology and user interface enhancements for the site, with major feature releases scheduled for August and October 1999.

"SuperPages.com is a study in evolution - it's not only growing but getting better. We are by no means moving away from the online Yellow Pages; rather, we are adding more tools for shoppers at SuperPages.com," said Earl A. Goode, president of GTE Directories Corporation. "Our research and user feedback shows that people are searching for information, buying products and services, and shopping with online Yellow Pages like never before. We wanted to ensure that the site would be a one-stop shopping destination for Internet users. SuperPages.com is the ultimate shopping service."

Visitors to SuperPages.com can locate both local and national merchants and engage in a virtually endless variety of search and purchasing activities - from finding information on restaurants, florists and hotels to buying clothing, gifts and lifestyle products.

Web novices told GTE Directories that they use the Web primarily to search for information. In contrast, experienced users said they are more interested in using the Internet to complete every step of the shopping process including searching for information, evaluating and comparing products and services, and executing the transaction. The new SuperPages.com site directly addresses both types of consumers by offering the following features:

A shopping content area for consumers who know what they want to purchase and simply need to locate and buy it. Categories in this area include Books/Magazines; Hobbies/Crafts/Collectibles; Career/Education; Computers; Home/Garden; Dining/Food/Beverage; Kids/Family; Electronics; Music/Video/DVD; Entertainment/Attractions; Pets; Fashion; Software; Financial/Legal Services; Sports/Recreation; Flowers/Gifts; Toys; Video Games; and Health/Wellness.

Designed for the shopper who has a specific need but is not sure of what to buy, the Idea Pages is a more in-depth shopping channel. By providing product reviews, helpful tips and suggestions, direct links to online merchants, and classifieds, this area will help users become more informed shoppers.

Idea Pages features some of the Internet's hottest categories: Planning a Wedding; Planning a Party; Buying a Home/Relocation; Buying a Car/Maintenance; Starting and Running a Business; and Planning a Vacation.

A local shopping guide that allows users to shop based on geography. City Pages features links to AOL Digital Cities and Lycos City Guide, as well as links to local classifieds, maps and driving directions, and places to shop locally.

The Internet's leading online Yellow Pages service, SuperPages.com features a searchable database with more than 11 million U.S. business listings, maps, driving directions, and links to other shopping content based on what a user searches for. In addition, the Yellow Pages search tool is more intuitive than ever before. When a search is conducted, the most popular categories are returned first to make it easier for consumers to find the information that they need.

Each category features links to online merchants, classifieds, Yellow Pages, Consumer Guide Best Buy product reviews, and Auto Guide car comparisons and buying tips, where appropriate.

For users performing searches, SuperPages.com features a new shopping engine that uses advanced, patent-pending classification technology from GTE Laboratories. The shopping engine returns complete, unbiased lists of the online storefronts that sell specifically what shoppers are looking for - an Internet first. Because GTE's shopping engine retrieves information from all e-commerce-enabled shopping sites, it allows consumers to quickly locate online merchants that sell a particular product.

"Right now, our efforts are focused on building an online shopping destination that is rewarding for all Internet users," said Goode. "The shopping engine represents a powerful tool for them. And the simple navigation gets users where they want to go. Our next step is to offer personalization capabilities and to continue developing innovative online shopping features."

About SuperPages.com and GTE Directories Corporation

With over 11 million businesses listed and thousands of advertisers, SuperPages.com, offered by GTE Directories Corporation, is a rich, comprehensive shopping tool designed for people who want the convenience of finding information and purchasing products and services online. A leading Internet Yellow Pages service, SuperPages.com receives as many as 4.5 million visits per month and conducts as many as 12 million Yellow Pages searches per month. GTE Directories Corporation is a leader in linking buyers and sellers through a spectrum of multimedia advertising solutions, ranging from traditional Yellow Pages advertising to interactive Internet-based services to cable television advertising. The company provides sales and other directory-related services for approximately 2,600 directory titles, including GTE's Yellow Pages directories, in 13 countries with a total circulation of 96 million. GTE Directories Corporation is a part of GTE Corporation, one of the world's largest telecommunications companies and a leading provider of integrated telecommunications services.

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