Bell Atlantic Cuts ISDN Prices Again In West Virginia

Bell Atlantic Cuts ISDN Prices Again In West Virginia

Company Offers Consumers Free Installation and Discounted Modem

March 13, 1997

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The cost of high-speed access to
cyberspace at
home has dropped again with Bell Atlantic's offer of free installation
and a steep discount on a modem for its integrated services digital
network (ISDN).

These latest reductions follow cuts in basic monthly rates for ISDN to
the home in recent months in West Virginia.

"We're committed to making ISDN affordable, available, and easy to
get
for consumers," said Dennis Bone,
president and CEO of Bell
Atlantic-West Virginia. "With these discounts, there's never
been a
better time to buy ISDN."

ISDN offers home consumers a quantum leap in the speed of
communicating. It handles voice, data and video five to nine times
faster than conventional analog modems. To install it, customers need
both an ISDN line and an ISDN modem to send and receive data. Inside
wiring changes often are required as well.

To bring the price tag down, Bell Atlantic is offering free ISDN line
installation, a $125 savings, and is joining with 3Com Corp. -- a
global data networking leader -- in offering an ISDN modem at a
substantial discount. Both offers run through April 30.

The 3ComImpact*IQ External ISDN Modem, packaged under both the Bell
Atlantic and 3Com brands, costs $259. This is $40 off Bell Atlantic's
normal price for the modem and as much as $100 less than the price of
comparable modems if purchased elsewhere. It is the lowest priced
modem Bell Atlantic has ever sold for supporting full ISDN voice and
data capabilities. The 3ComImpact IQ provides fast, smooth connections
to Internet software and services.

New pricing plans for ISDN service to the home in West Virginia
include five packages ranging from 20 to 500 hours of monthly use for
voice, data or video and a package for unlimited use. The 20-hour
package costs $31, a 40 percent reduction over Bell Atlantic's
previous rates. The 500-hour package is $120, an 81 percent reduction
over the company's previous rates.

For example, consumers who buy the 20-hour package can get 10 hours if
they use both "B" channels or 20 hours when they use one
"B" channel
for voice or data transmission. ISDN provides two B channels that can
each transmit data at 64 kilobits per second (Kbps).

For those who need an ISDN data connection 24 hours a day, seven days
a week, Bell Atlantic offers an unlimited ISDN usage package for $249
monthly.

Customers who use more hours than their package will pay a standard
usage fee for the additional time. Usage charges are 2 cents per
minute per channel during peak hours or 1 cent per minute per channel
during off-peak hours. Peak time is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through
Friday. Off-peak times are evenings and weekends.

The new monthly rates are:

20 hours $ 31
60 hours $ 45
140 hours $ 60
300 hours $ 90
500 hours $120
Unlimited $249

Previously, Bell Atlantic's residential customers paid an average of
$28 monthly for ISDN service, plus usage charges of 2 cents per minute
per channel during peak hours and 1 cent per minute per channel
off-peak hours.

ISDN is an all-digital network technology that combines voice, data
and video signals on a single telephone line, and transmits them at
speeds up to 128 kilobits per second (Kbps) or as high as 500 Kbps
with common compression techniques available. For consumers who use
the Internet and on-line services or telecommuters who need access to
their corporate computer networks, ISDN provides a quick way to
transmit and download data, graphics and images.

"ISDN is becoming a must-have product for the home because people
want
communications products that move as fast as they do," Bone said.
"They can't afford to waste time waiting for data to download.

Bell Atlantic offers consumers one-stop shopping for ISDN -- from the
initial service order through installation. Consumers can order ISDN
by calling the InfoSpeed sales center at
1-800-204-7332 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8
p.m. If inside
wiring is required, it can be purchased from Bell Atlantic or other
companies.

Bell Atlantic Corp. (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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* Trademark of the 3Com Corp.