Ten Strike It Rich in Bell Atlantic Sweepstakes

Ten Strike It Rich in Bell Atlantic
Sweepstakes

July 22, 1999

NEW YORK --Ten lucky people found out that a pot of gold
isn't always at the end of a rainbow -- sometimes it's at the other end of
your phone.

Each won $25,000 this month in Bell Atlantic's Save Like Wild Vacation
Sweepstakes.

The winners, all of them Bell Atlantic customers, were selected in a
random drawing from those who entered the sweepstakes between Jan. 4
and April 3. They had their choice of taking a vacation anywhere in the
world or $25,000 in cash.

"In this sweepstakes, everybody won," said Bob Ingalls, Bell
Atlantic vice president of Consumer Marketing. "Ten people struck
it rich, and all Bell Atlantic customers who bought our products and
services won more control of their time and their lives."

Due to the enthusiastic response to the sales campaign, the company has
launched a summer Save Like Wild promotion that will run until Aug. 14.
The summer promotion, which does not include a contest, offers
incentives to consumers who sign up for Bell Atlantic's most
popular services such as Caller ID or an additional line. For example,
customers who order an additional line during this period will get a $15
credit on their bill.

Sweepstakes winners include:

Emma DeFilippi, of Toms River, N.J., Ms. DeFilippi entered the
sweepstakes when she called Bell Atlantic's business office about
harassing phone calls she and her husband were receiving. After she
purchased Caller ID, the unwanted calls stopped. "And my husband
is hard-of-hearing so the display (of phone numbers) ensures that we get
our messages accurately," she said. DeFilippi also likes the
anonymous call rejection feature that turns back calls from people who
block their numbers.

Cassandra Maguire, a working mom in Lake Carmel, N.Y. Ms.
Maguire entered the sweepstakes and ordered Caller ID in response to the
offer of a free Caller ID box. She finds it helpful in screening callers and
"knowing which call is important to pick up and which can wait
until later." She says that winning the sweepstakes was the answer
to her prayers. Her personal circumstances became difficult earlier this
year and she visited several churches over the Easter holiday to pray for
help and guidance. Not long after, she received a call telling her she had
won $25,000. She is donating part of her winnings to her church.

Ronald Kinville of Center Tuftonboro, N.H. Mr. Kinville
bought Bell Atlantic's Value Pack to make life easier for him and his wife.
Both are in poor health and unable to work. He was automatically entered
in the sweepstakes when he bought the individually customized package
of services at a reduced price. Customers select their custom Value Pack
according to their specific needs from 13 of Bell Atlantic's most popular
services including Call Waiting, Repeat Call, *69, Call Forwarding and
Three Way Calling. Kinville says his winnings will provide him with
financial security.

Zantia Lawrence of New York City. An accounting student, Ms.
Lawrence will use her winnings to help pay for school tuition. She
entered the sweepstakes when she signed up for Caller ID at the urging of
her sister and friends. They had tried the service and found it to be a real
time-saver. After winning the sweepstakes, she calls Caller ID, "her
lucky charm," and says she'll keep it forever.

Renee Malone of West Mifflin, Penn. Ms. Malone moved into a
new house in March. She ordered Caller ID with Name so that she could
see both the name and phone number of her callers. With her sweepstakes
check in hand, she's now drawing up plans for an additional bathroom and
a new back porch.

Corey Pinette, Colebrook, N.H. "I just moved at the right
time," is the only explanation Mr. Pinnette offers for his winning
sweepstakes entry. When he called Bell Atlantic to transfer his service to a
new address, he heard about the free Caller ID box offer and decided to try
the service he'd seen advertised. As a result, he was automatically entered
in the contest. He particularly likes coming home and seeing a record of
who has called him while he's at work.

Charles Bisser of Glen Burnie, Md. Mr. Bisser is the only
winner who didn't buy a new phone product although he's quick to say that
he is a big fan of Bell Atlantic's cell phone service. Bisser entered the
contest by sending in a postcard with his name and address. He told his
wife, half-in-jest, that he was going to win. She didn't believe him until he
received the check and faxed a copy to her at work. Bisser, who has been
out of work with an injury, said winning "hit us at the best time it
could."

Other winners include two Bell Atlantic customers in New York and
another in Washington, D. C.

Customers were automatically entered in the contest when they purchased
certain products and also could enter in other ways requiring no purchase.

Eligible products included Caller ID, home voice mail, an additional
phone line or service packages that offer discounts on combinations of
phone services.

The contest was open to all legal residents of the U.S., 18 years or older,
residing in the Bell Atlantic service area from Maine to the Virginia. Bell
Atlantic employees and their immediate families and household members
were not eligible to enter. The winners were selected in a random drawing
from all eligible entries by Fulfillment America, an independent judging
organization.

Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of the
new communications and information industry. With more than 43
million telephone access lines and nearly 10 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 23
countries.