Bell Atlantic's View of 1996 - Wow!

January 16, 1996

IN 1996, SAYS BELL ATLANTIC, LOOK FOR COMMUNICATIONS
BOUNDARIES
TO TUMBLE, INNOVATION TO SOAR

Arlington, VA -- If there is one word to characterize Bell
Atlantic's
view of 1996, "Wow!" would fit the bill.

Advances in technology will move society ever closer to the day when
your computer will speak, your TV will listen, your telephone will
show you pictures and your fax machine will zip you coupons, maps,
rock concert tickets and lottery receipts.

The boundaries between once-separate businesses will continue to be
swept away by new technologies. Increasingly, legal and regulatory
distinctions between "cable" and "telephone,"
"long distance" and
"local exchange" companies will be recognized as unnecessary
barriers
to market forces. Competition in all phases of the telecommunications
industry will mean more innovation and more new services.

As you read this, a House-Senate conference committee pushes toward
enacting sweeping legislation that will, for the first time in 60
years, open the nation's telecommunications markets to competition.
This bipartisan bill, if passed by both Houses and signed into law by
President Clinton, could enable you to do one-stop shopping for your
local and long-distance phone service, cable service and Internet
access service. Or you may select services from many providers.
Either way, competition authorized by this legislation will create
thousands of new jobs and lower the prices you pay for
telecommunications services.

In 1996, look for Bell Atlantic to find more ways to meet the needs of
customers who say they want not just "plain old telephone
service,"
but information at their fingertips, video on demand and an on-line
connection to their bank, their youngster's school, their doctor and
their office.

The key advantage is Bell Atlantic's superlative communications
infrastructure: miles of fiber-optic cable, digital switching,
software-drive "intelligent" network features and high-speed
data
transport capabilities.

And advanced services. A good example is Bell Atlantic's ISDN
(Integrated Services Digital Network) feature, introduced late last
year. With ISDN, you can dial into the Internet or on-line services
from home instantly. Files and graphics can be transmitted or
downloaded quickly and reliably. And people who work at home can tap
into databases or work face-to-face with colleagues at the office --
right from their personal home computers.

ISDN is just part of Bell Atlantic's commitment to making technology
available to customers in urban, suburban and rural communities.

While the company concentrates on the new, some things will not
change, such as Bell Atlantic's pledge to be there when needed,
through winter storms and summer heat, 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year.

So watch for Bell Atlantic to redefine the communications business for
everyone. It just might be the year your youngster asks for his own
home page on the World Wide Web; and the year you print your e-mail
address on your business card.

In short, in 1996 get ready to move ever closer to the wondrous
promise of the information age. And look to Bell Atlantic to take you
there.

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.

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for more information, contact:

Shirley Risoldi, 412-633-5574
shirley.a.risoldi@bell-atl.com