Customers Snap Up Special Savings on Caller, ID, Home Voice Mail, Other Phone Services

Customers Snap Up Special Savings on Caller, ID, Home Voice Mail, Other Phone Services

Bell Atlantic Services that Simplify Life-on-the-Run Selling Like Wild

March 23, 1998

NEW YORK - The numbers don't lie. Bell Atlantic customers can't get
enough of services like Caller ID, Home Voice Mail and other high-tech
services aimed at streamlining life for millions of busy families from
Maine to Virginia.

Motivated by a series of 100-day incentives and special offers,
customers of Bell Atlantic's local telephone companies purchased
Caller ID, Home Voice Mail, additional lines and other services in
near-record numbers during January and February.

"We're no longer your father's telephone company," said Amy McIntosh,
vice president - Consumer Marketing, Bell Atlantic. "Customers
recognize we're savvy marketers with a suite of exciting products and
services that are relevant, useful, affordable and necessary for
managing today's busy world. We appreciate their business and intend
to remain focused on meeting their specific telecommunications needs."

During the first two months of the campaign, customers purchased more
than 4.5 million optional services. Sales of Caller ID led the blitz
at close to 900,000 units, representing a 23 percent increase over
Bell Atlantic-NYNEX combined January-February 1997 sales. Home Voice
Mail was popular as well, experiencing a 12 percent growth rate in
January and February of this year.

The effort, advertised in print and broadcast media throughout the
Bell Atlantic service territory as "Simple Savings Days," continues
through mid-April. "This is a win-win scenario for our customers,"
said McIntosh. "The new Bell Atlantic is giving customers creative
new packages and uniform service offerings across our footprint. Our
wealth of marketing knowledge now benefits customers in ways we could
only imagine prior to our merger."

Bell Atlantic customer service representatives, equipped with
additional knowledge to help customers match services to meet the
demands of their individual lifestyles, remain ready to receive calls.
Customers have ample time to take advantage of the special sales
offers on the services they crave:

• Call Manager: This combination of services provides the most
  comprehensive way for customers to stay in touch by combining
  Caller ID, Home Voice Mail, and Call Waiting. Call Manager
  enables customers to dump their outdated answering machines and
  adopt a system that picks up calls even if they are on the phone,
  too busy or answer, or not at home. During the current offer,
  customers who sign up for Call Manager receive a bill credit which
  they can apply to a Caller ID display unit and, where applicable,
  realize other savings on voice mail setup.

• Caller ID: Caller ID provides convenience and security to
  customers who like to screen their calls and maintain a list of
  those callers. During Simple Savings Days, customers can order
  the service and receive a bill credit toward a Caller ID display
  unit and, in some areas, price breaks on installation.

• Additional Lines: Bell Atlantic is responding to the explosion in
  demand for second telephone lines by offering a significant
  credit on the customer's monthly bill for ordering an additional
  line during "Simple Savings Days." The dramatic increase in home
  use of personal computers and fax machines, coupled with the
  demand for extra telephone lines to accommodate additional family
  members spurred the new price breaks, and has led to a 10 percent
  growth rate in the product in the first two months of 1998.

Bell Atlantic - formed through the merger of Bell Atlantic and NYNEX -
is at the forefront of the new communications and information
industry. With 40.5 million telephone access lines and six 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.