BELL ATLANTIC INTRODUCES AUTOMATIC SAVINGS FOR MARYLAND RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 2, 1996

BELL ATLANTIC INTRODUCES AUTOMATIC SAVINGS
FOR MARYLAND RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS

Baltimore, MD -- Bell Atlantic is giving its Maryland residential
customers' automatic discounts on their phone bills.

The company's Automatic Savings Plan, introduced yesterday, will
automatically discount monthly direct-dialed, in-state intraLATA Bell
Atlantic toll charges of $5 or more. Unlike many of the savings plans
of other toll service providers, customers do not have to enroll in
Automatic Savings or pay a monthly fee to receive the discount.

Customers with monthly direct-dialed, station-to-station toll charges
of $20 or more will receive an automatic discount of 20%. When these
charges total $5 to $19.99, customers will receive an automatic
discount of 10%.

"Automatic Savings will provide discounts sooner than plans offered
by
other companies, and cuts through the clutter in today's competitive
marketplace," said Tom Mazerski, Bell Atlantic's executive director
of
Consumer Toll Services. "It's simple, hassle-free and, best of all,
it's automatic."

Customers who already receive discounts because they have speech or
hearing disabilities are also eligible for Automatic Savings
discounts.

Bell Atlantic - Maryland is introducing its Automatic Savings Plan as
part of a "revenue neutral" rate plan that also introduces a
late
payment charge of 1.5%. Bell Atlantic - Maryland is also eliminating
the charges for processing orders for Custom Calling Services, such as
Call Waiting, Speed Calling and Three-Way Calling, and several other
optional services.

Revenues from the late payment charge will be offset by the Automatic
Savings Plan and the elimination of the order processing charges.

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.

####

for more information, contact:

Michel L. Daley, 202-392-1021
michel.l.daley@bell-atl.com