Bell Atlantic Reminds Customers Of New Phone Number for Repair Service

Bell Atlantic Reminds Customers Of New Phone Number for Repair Service

611 Becomes 1-800-275-2355 This Saturday

March 10, 1997

ARLINGTON, Va. - Bell Atlantic today reminded its
customers that the
telephone number for repair service will change this Saturday.
Starting March 15, Bell Atlantic customers should call
1-800-275-2355
to reach the telephone company's repair service instead of 611, the
current number for repair.

Business customers who now call phone numbers other than 611 for Bell
Atlantic repair services are not affected by this change.

"We're changing the Bell Atlantic repair number to
1-800-275-2355 to
ensure that our customers reach our repair service from any phone,
anywhere and at any time," said Dave Douglas, vice
president-regional
network operations at Bell Atlantic Network Services, Inc. "As
other
companies offer local telephone service, dialing 611 won't necessarily
allow customers to reach repair service for their local phone company.

"We apologize for any inconvenience that remembering the new number
and dialing the extra digits may cause our customers."

Last month, Bell Atlantic announced that the number will change. In
addition, the new 800 number for repair service began appearing in
1997 Bell Atlantic telephone directories starting in January. Bell
Atlantic customers also will receive information about the change in
their phone bills during March and April.

Bell Atlantic's Commitment to Service Doesn't
Change

Bell Atlantic will continue to answer customers' calls for repair
service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "Bell Atlantic and its
employees remain committed to providing the very best telephone
service," said Douglas. "We've been customers' local phone
company
for more than a century in some areas, and we want to continue to
serve them for the next hundred years."

Until March 15, callers still can reach Bell Atlantic's repair service
by calling 611. Starting March 15, people who call 611 will hear a
recording directing them to call the 800 number if Bell Atlantic is
their local phone company. The recording also will direct them to call
their local phone service provider if they use another phone company.

"We encourage customers to write the new Bell Atlantic repair
service
number now in their telephone directories and any other convenient
place so they'll know where to call when they need our repair
service," said Douglas. Customers who have other questions about
their Bell Atlantic telephone service should continue to call the
appropriate number listed in front of their Bell Atlantic white pages
directory.

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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