Wireless Internet Access Made Cheaper, Easier With Bell Atlantic Mobile's Newest Airbridge® Service

BEDMINSTER, NJ — In response to the growing need among business people for an easier and more affordable way to fully access the Internet and their corporate intranets while away from the office, Bell Atlantic Mobile today introduced AirBridge® Internet Access.

For a flat monthly fee of $54.95, users have a cellular digital packet data (CDPD) airlink and unlimited access to the Internet or company intranets while traveling throughout Bell Atlantic Mobile's CDPD service area, between Boston and Columbia, SC, including key business centers like New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington, DC. In addition, customers will get their own Internet e-mail address at no additional charge. Users can send and receive messages to and from Internet e-mail users worldwide. Volume discounts for 16 or more users are available.

Using CDPD technology, AirBridge Internet Access allows customers working remotely to check e-mail, look up data on corporate databases or visit any site on the World Wide Web simply by connecting a wireless modem to their laptop computer. CDPD efficiently and securely transmits packets of data over the cellular infrastructure using the Internet protocol.

In conjunction with this service launch, Bell Atlantic Mobile is offering the Sierra Wireless AirCard* modem at a special introductory price. This AirCard consists of two PCMCIA Type II cards which fit completely inside a laptop. It provides CDPD, circuit-switched cellular, and landline connectivity.

"We applaud Bell Atlantic Mobile's initiative in wireless Internet access for notebook users," said David Sutcliffe, president and CEO, Sierra Wireless. "The flat rate service pricing will meet the requirements of many corporate customers who want predictable monthly invoices."

"It's no big secret that mobile workers have the same need for communications and data access that their deskbound counterparts have had for years," stated Mike Franklin, executive director-wireless data marketing for Bell Atlantic Mobile. "Today, Bell Atlantic Mobile is addressing this need head-on with a solution that brings the Internet right to the workers' fingertips and with pricing that is affordable and predictable."

AirBridge Internet Access also benefits customers who travel beyond Bell Atlantic Mobile's operating territory. These customers can leverage the company's agreements with other major CDPD carriers and continue accessing the information and e-mail correspondence they need for a nominal fee ($0.08 per kilobyte).

Customers seeking additional information about AirBridge Internet Access can call 1-800-308-DATA, or visit www.bam.com.

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 wireless retail outlets offering a full range of wireless personal communications services, including voice, data and paging.

Based in Bedminster, NJ, Bell Atlantic Mobile has 4.9 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 and NYNEX corporations.

####