BELL ATLANTIC ASSISTS AIR FORCE IN NATIONWIDE HEALTHCARE IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 8, 1996

BELL ATLANTIC ASSISTS AIR FORCE IN NATIONWIDE
HEALTHCARE IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVE

New Telecommunications Equipment for Air Force
Hospitals

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Air Force personnel and their families
soon
will find it easier to refill medical prescriptions, make doctor's
appointments and leave messages for their doctor, as a result of new
telecommunications equipment deployed by Bell Atlantic at Air Force
hospitals nationwide.

Sixty-one Air Force hospitals across the country can receive modern
telecommunications equipment and services under a $27.9 million
contract awarded to Bell Atlantic Federal Systems to install Octel and
Telcom Technologies products. Under the contract, Bell Atlantic will
deploy Octel and Telcom Technologies systems required to provide voice
messaging and voice processing systems at the Air Force hospitals,
improving the efficiency of healthcare service provided at these
facilities.

This new equipment will make communications faster and more convenient
for both patients and medical personnel. Voice messaging systems will
enable patients to leave phone messages for doctors 24 hours a day.
Medical personnel will be able to retrieve and store messages and
respond quickly to patients' requests. In addition, calls to Air Force
hospitals will be processed more quickly and efficiently.

"Bell Atlantic's past performance and reputation for customer
service
are very impressive," said Col. Gary Salisbury, commander of the
38th
Engineering and Installation Wing at Tinker Air Force Base in
Oklahoma.

"We are pleased to have been awarded this contract by the Air Force
for
this important initiative," said Barbara Connor, president of Bell
Atlantic Federal Systems. "Programs such as Voice Processing Systems
(VPS) that improve the efficiency of providing healthcare will save the
government money. We welcome this opportunity to provide
telecommunications solutions that have positive financial implications
and improve the quality of life of military personnel and their
families across the nation."

"We appreciate the confidence our federal government customers
continue to have in our ability to meet their requirements," said
Connor.

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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for more information, contact:

Mary Hecht-Kissell, Bell Atlantic Federal Systems, 202-392-4720

Ells Edwards, Bell Atlantic, 302-576-5340

Sandy Levine, STG Marketing Communications, 703-277-3100