BEDMINSTER, N.J. — In addition to bringing along their sunscreen for protection when poolside, lakeside or oceanside, vacationers and day-trippers should also take along their wireless phone. With more people outdoors and on the roads, summertime can be an accident-prone season.
This Fourth of July weekend, Bell Atlantic Mobile offers some practical reminders about wireless phones:
• Wireless phones provide easy access to emergency communications,
• But only if you have it with you. Make sure you take your wireless phone out of the briefcase or car console, and put it in your beach or travel bag.
• Check and charge your battery.
• Call 9-1-1 only in emergencies.
In addition to safety, wireless phone can provide instant convenience and some sanity for travelers who are lost, need local information, running late, or stuck in traffic."
Bell Atlantic Mobile offers InfoAssist SM, an enhanced directory service that provides more than just a phone number - it gives users the inside information on popular, but sometimes unfamiliar, summertime destinations.
Using InfoAssist, customers are never far from the information they need to make their weekend complete, whether they are trying to locate the local fireworks display, a campground, an amusement park, a local marina, a state park for mountain biking, a restaurant featuring the freshest daily catch, or simply a grocery store.
By dialing 4-1-1 SEND, the Bell Atlantic Mobile customer reaches an InfoAssist operator, or "tour guide," who provides information and makes recommendations, then connects the call. Unlike traditional directory assistance services, InfoAssist does not require the caller to know an exact business or residential name to receive a phone number or address. There is a per-call charge for calls to InfoAssist.
According to Bell Atlantic Mobile officials, even with the anticipated surge in usage at popular summertime destinations, Bell Atlantic Mobile's network, which is continually expanded and strengthened, will easily handle the traffic.
Bell Atlantic Mobile owns and operates the largest wireless network in the East, covering 120,000 square miles, and the largest chain of retail outlets devoted exclusively to wireless voice, data and paging. Based in Bedminster, NJ, Bell Atlantic Mobile has 6.4 million customers and 8,000 employees from Maine to Georgia and, through a separate subsidiary, in the Southwest. Through its "Wireless at Work…" community service program, the company uses its technology to help individuals and communities improve security and emergency communications. Bell Atlantic Mobile's parent, Bell Atlantic Corporation (NYSE:BEL) is one of the world's largest wireless communications companies, with domestic operations in 25 states and international investments in Mexico, Europe and the Pacific Rim. For more information on Bell Atlantic Mobile visit: www.bam.com; on global operations visit: www.bellatlantic.com/worldwide.
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