Bell Atlantic inroduces affordable internet access option for small businesses or branch offices using ISDN

Bell Atlantic now provides small businesses in the mid-Atlantic states with an attractive new way to increase productivity and take advantage of the global Internet's vast communications, information and marketing resources.

"Bell Atlantic's ISDN LAN Internet access service provides a new option for businesses that want Internet access for a small group of employees," said Dave Capuano, product manager for Bell Atlantic Internet Solutions. "Before now, the main solution for a group was a high-speed, dedicated connection.

"ISDN was considered strictly a 'single-line' or individual solution, ideal for telecommuters and others working generally by themselves. But our announcement changes everything for the small work group, particularly a group that needs only occasional access to the Internet," said Capuano.

Bell Atlantic ISDN LAN² Internet access features connections at rates up to 128 kilobits per second for users sharing a local area network, a high level of security that results from the use of equipment used to route data at the customer's location, access to Internet news servers and at least 10 e-mail boxes with domain name aliasing³, which enables a small business to appear as a large company on the Internet.

Bell Atlantic has selected Farallon, a leading hardware vendor, to offer certified Netopia Routers as part of the package. The ISDN LAN service is backed by superior customer and technical support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the high reliability customers have come to expect from Bell Atlantic. 

The price for the service is as low as $115 per month for unlimited Internet access, based on a three-year contract and including charges from the Global Service Provider (GSP) chosen by the customer.⁴ The initial set-up fee is as low as $95, depending on the options chosen. In addition, customers pay ISDN line installation, monthly and usage fees.

Customers interested in ordering Bell Atlantic's ISDN LAN service can call 1-800-252-8444. For more information on the service, customers can visit the company's Web site at www.bellatlantic.net. For information regarding Bell Atlantic's ISDN Service, customers can call Bell Atlantic Small Business Services on 1-800-570-ISDN (4736).

Bell Atlantic Internet Solutions, Inc., is the unit of Bell Atlantic that delivers a full range of Internet services to businesses, governments and consumers -- from Internet access to electronic mail to World Wide Web site production and hosting. 

The new Bell Atlantic - formed through the merger of Bell Atlantic and NYNEX - is at the forefront of the new communications, information and entertainment industry. With 40 million telephone access lines and 5.5 million wireless customers worldwide, Bell Atlantic companies are premier providers of advanced wireline voice and data services, market leaders in wireless services and the world's largest publishers of directory information. Bell Atlantic companies are also among the world's largest investors in high-growth global communications markets, with operations and investments in 21 countries

BACKGROUND FACT SHEET

Fact Sheet For ISDN LAN Internet Access Service

Product Specifications

Target Market: Small business, Remote Offices 

ISDN LAN:

• Dial up LAN connection via ISDN

• Usenet News Access

• Router

• 10 Mailboxes with Domain Name Aliasing

Options:

• Mailboxes

• Domain Name Registration

• Domain Name Aliasing

Billing Options: Purchase Order, Credit Card

GSP5 Options: Icon

Term Choices: 1, 2, 3 year

Product Features:

• "On-Demand, Reliable, High performance Internet Access

• ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) is an international standard for digital telephone products. Using digital technology from start to finish, ISDN provides reliability, performance and cost benefits.

• Uses Point-to-Point (PPP) protocol for connectivity over an ISDN BRI circuit.

• Access to http://home.bellatlantic.net/ -- the start-up page and Internet guide provided to Bell Atlantic.netsm subscribers.

Pricing:

The price for the service is as low as $115 per month for unlimited Internet access, based on a three-year contract and including charges from the GSP chosen by the customer. The initial set-up fee is as low as $95, depending on the options chosen. In addition, customers pay ISDN line installation, monthly and usage fees.

Footnotes:

¹ISDN = Integrated Services Digital Network, which provides connections 9 times faster than the commonly used 28.8 kbs modem 

²LAN = Local Area Network

³Domain Name Registration available for an additional charge. 

⁴Global Service Provider, or GSP, refers to a company providing the interexchange portion of the service. 5Global Service Provider, or GSP, refers to a company providing the interexchange portion of the service.