Bell Atlantic Makes Video Banking Possible for Mellon Bank

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 1996

CUSTOMERS WILL SOON CONDUCT VIDEO BANKING
WITH BELL ATLANTIC'S RETAIL DELIVERY ALTERNATIVE

Pittsburgh-based Mellon Bank First to Order Service
Developed Through Joint Effort with Teloquent and
PictureTel

PITTSBURGH - Mellon Bank Corporation customers seeking
investment
advice, loan information and private banking and account services soon
will be able to contact financial consultants using the latest video
technologies from Bell Atlantic, Teloquent and PictureTel. Bell
Atlantic today announced that Mellon is the first to order its new
retail delivery alternative application that links interactive video
stations with multiple remote Mellon call centers.

Mellon worked closely with Bell Atlantic to develop the application,
including defining specific requirements, providing input on the
development and design of the agent and user interfaces, and serving
as a technical trial site.

The video banking application was developed as part of Bell
Atlantic® All@once^SM Solutions, a
program that provides integrated
voice, video and data communication services and multi-dimensional
professional service that includes consultation, implementation and
project management. The All@once approach provides complete,
end-to-end solutions by teaming Bell Atlantic with best-in-class
companies. In this case, Bell Atlantic developed the system's
software, and Teloquent and PictureTel will provide the video call
queuing and routing and the video conferencing equipment. Bell
Atlantic's integrated
services digital network (ISDN) is the communications back-bone of
this comprehensive, region-wide service.
In addition, Bell Atlantic will license, install and maintain the
system.

The video banking application will give Mellon the ability to quickly
handle calls from nearly all of its 450 store locations by
automatically routing each call to the best-suited expert for the
customer's needs. The system offers compressed video in real time via
ISDN to Mellon retail stores. Mellon first introduced video banking
services in its retail offices in 1995, as part of its Retail
Reconfiguration effort.

"Most of our customers want quick and easy access to our experts
face-to-face at a time and place that's convenient for them," said
Marty McGuinn, vice chairman of Mellon Bank Corporation. "With Bell
Atlantic's application, we will soon have a more convenient and
effective way to provide our customers with face-to-face consultation
about their financial needs with appropriate experts. It's a
cost-effective way to provide our customers with even more convenient
financial services."

With the application, Mellon is implementing a new, cost-effective
delivery channel for sales and customer service. Benefits include:

• Increased availability for a range of products and
  services -
  Mellon will now be able to deliver its full selection of retail
  financial services through qualified experts available on-demand to
  customers at every store in its geographically-dispersed network.

• Better coverage - Financial counselors can be
  located where they
  will be most effective -- at centralized call centers, various bank
  stores on a rotating basis, or even at home.

• Improved customer service - Mellon customers will
  receive
  face-to-face service from financial counselors at their
  convenience, even outside traditional business hours.
  Sophisticated call routing can also quickly direct a customer's
  call to the consultant best qualified to handle the transaction.

• Easy to use - At both ends, the simple, intuitive
  multimedia
  interface improves the process. It enables the bank customer to
  quickly adopt new technology and the financial consultant to
  conduct a video call in which he or she can focus on customer needs
  and collect marketing data all at once.

"We believe that interactive video and multimedia will have a
tremendous impact on how banks, as well as many other industries, serve
their customers over the next several years. With the introduction of
our retail delivery alternative product, Bell Atlantic is taking a
leadership position in offering a cost-effective way for businesses to
reach customers," said Tom Dalrymple, director of marketing for
Business Interactive Services at Bell Atlantic Large Business Services.
"Easy face-to-face access to key remote experts can directly
improve
customer service and drive bottom line results. By installing the Bell
Atlantic application and video stations, Mellon is stepping ahead in
the financial industry and creating another new way to distinguish
itself in the marketplace."

Bell Atlantic Corporation 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 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.

The company's Large
Business Services organization offers customers
Bell Atlantic All@once Solutions: integrated voice, data and video
applications and the professional consulting and support services that
add up to a precise solution that fits and evolves to meet customers'
specific communications needs.

With balance sheet assets of approximately $43 billion and assets
under management or administration of more than $1.1 trillion, Mellon
Bank Corporation is a major financial services company headquartered
in Pittsburgh; its primary subsidiary is Mellon Bank, N.A. Mellon
provides a full range of banking and investment products and services
to individuals and small, midsize and large businesses and
institutions. Its principal mutual fund business is The Dreyfus
Corporation.

Teloquent Communications Corporation, founded in 1989, develops
sophisticated call center software, featuring business solutions for
call center networking, virtual offices and telecommuting.
Teloquent's Distributed Call Center is a client/server software
solution that exploits ISDN and other networking standards to unlock
the power of the intelligent public network. Additional information
about Teloquent is available on the Internet at
http://www.teloquent.com.

PictureTel Corporation (NASDAQ:PCTL) is the world leader in developing,
manufacturing and marketing a full range of visual communications
solutions. The company's products serve videoconferencing needs from
the desktop to the boardroom. PictureTel also markets network products
and a comprehensive portfolio of enterprise-wide services. Additional
PictureTel information is available on the Internet at
http://www.picturetel.com.
PictureTel - Anywhere Now.

###

PictureTel is a registered trademark of PictureTel
Corporation.

Media contacts:

Bell Atlantic: Shannon Fioravanti (703) 974-5455
shannon.l.fioravanti@bell-atl.com

Mellon Bank Corporation: James J. Dever (412) 236-1752

Hill and Knowlton, Inc.: Aaron Graham (212) 885-0300
agraham@nyc.hillknowlton.com