New Area Codes In North And Central New Jersey To Take Effect On June 1

New Area Codes In North And Central New Jersey To Take Effect On June 1

Customers Should Begin Using the New 973 and 732 Area Codes

May 28, 1997

NEWARK, N.J. - Starting Sunday, June 1, New Jersey will have two new
area codes: 973 will serve the western portion of the 201 area, and
732 will be the new code in the southeastern half of the current 908
area.

To make the changes more convenient, Bell Atlantic has set up a
six-month grace period during which customers will be able to dial
either the old or the new area code to reach people who have been
assigned a new area code.

A call to Newark, for example, will be completed if the caller dials
either the new 973 or the old 201 area code followed by a seven-digit
telephone number. Similarly, callers may dial either 732 or 908 to
reach exchanges in Lakewood during this grace period.

Beginning Dec. 6, calls to the new 973 and 732 areas no longer will go
through if the old area codes are dialed. Customers who try to reach
the new area codes by dialing 201 or 908 after Dec. 6 will hear a
recorded message instructing them to dial the correct code.

For the next six months, New Jersey's residential and business
telecommunications customers can adjust to the new area codes. Next
week, Bell Atlantic will send another round of informational pamphlets
to residences and businesses in the 973 and 732 areas. Customers in
the affected areas received a first round of mailings in February.

The pamphlets will list telephone exchanges included in the new area
codes. Customers can check the lists to find out if they're in the
new area codes simply by locating the first three digits of their
seven-digit local telephone numbers.

In addition to the mailings, Bell Atlantic will launch two
informational advertising campaigns. One will start June 2, and the
other on June 23. The company conducted a similar campaign last
December.

Bell Atlantic also offers customers a toll-free area-code hotline
(1-800-409-8773) that takes calls Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to
5 p.m.

The Bell Atlantic Area Code Internet Site
(http://www.bell-atl.com/areacode) is available around-the-clock,
seven-days-a-week. It features a wealth of information about
area-code changes in New Jersey and across Bell Atlantic's
mid-Atlantic region.

Between now and Dec. 6, customers should make several changes to make
certain they have no problems when the old area codes no longer are
available in the 973 and 732 areas:

• Reprogram telecommunications services and equipment to include the
  new area codes. These include computer modems, Call Forwarding
  (including Ultra Forward® and Select Forward), Call Block,
  Priority Call, Bell Atlantic® Easy Voice, Call Gate, Special
  Delivery® service on Answer Call, pager notification on voice
  mail services including Answer Call and Home Voice Mail Service.
  Also, speed-dialing lists - particularly those on office phones,
  cellular phones and fax machines.

  (Bell Atlantic automatically will reprogram or modify the following
  services: Centrex and Centrex Extend services, Foreign Exchange
  Service, Remote Call Forwarding, Call Restriction, directory
  listings and numbers blocked at the customer's request.)

• Notify people who call you regularly. Tell friends, relatives,
  customers, employees, local affiliates, business associates,
  suppliers, others.

• Make certain the new area codes appear in ads and promotional
  materials. Print ads, radio and TV spots, Bell Atlantic Yellow
  Pages advertising, classified ads, signs, Internet sites, recorded
  messages, trucks, billboards, mugs, keychains or anything else that
  displays your area code and telephone number.

• See that the new area codes appear on printed materials.
  Stationery, business cards, invoices, purchase orders, brochures,
  catalogs, product packaging, internal records, checks, company
  directories and labels.

• Check with suppliers to make sure telecommunications equipment can
  accept the new (973 and 732) area codes. Burglar alarm systems and
  PBX exchanges may need to be reprogrammed.

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.