Bell Atlantic Mobile to Purchase Wireless Interests From Frontier Corporation

Bell Atlantic Mobile to Purchase Wireless Interests From Frontier Corporation

Acquisition Represents 400,000-plus Additional Customers in
Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Other Markets

July 20, 1999

BEDMINSTER, NJ and ROCHESTER, NY -- Bell Atlantic
Mobile (NYSE:BEL), one of the largest wireless carriers in the country,
today announced it will continue to expand its North American wireless
footprint by purchasing Frontier Corporation's (NYSE:FRO) interests in
wireless properties doing business under the Frontier Cellular name. Bell
Atlantic Mobile currently owns 50 percent of the cellular network, which
operates in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica/Rome and Binghamton
metropolitan areas; four rural service areas in New York (Jefferson,
Franklin, Chautauqua, and Yates); and two rural service areas in
Pennsylvania (Bradford and Potter).

The expansion represents an addition of over 400,000 customers and
covers approximately 34,000 square-miles. The transaction represents
the purchase of an additional 2.3 million POPs (population served) and a
total of 5.1 million managed POPs when combined with Bell Atlantic
Mobile's existing 50 percent interest.

The companies expect to complete the transaction by year-end. Terms
were not disclosed.

The Frontier markets fill in an important part of Bell Atlantic's national
footprint," said Ivan Seidenberg, Chairman and CEO of Bell
Atlantic Corp. "The purchase furthers Bell Atlantic Mobile's
leadership position in the wireless industry and provides additional
opportunities to deliver 'next generation' technology and applications in
the state of New York."

When Bell Atlantic completes its merger with GTE, the combined
company's wireless business will be the largest in the United States with
over 14 million customers coast-to-coast. The merged company will also
be one of the world's largest wireless businesses with substantial
international wireless holdings.

Once the transaction is closed, Upstate New York customers will have
access to the largest, contiguous, wireless network on the East
Coast," said Dennis Strigl, President and CEO of Bell Atlantic
Global Wireless Group. "We plan to grow the markets quickly by
integrating Frontier's Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital
wireless network with Bell Atlantic Mobile's high-capacity CDMA
network and by introducing high-value state, regional and national
service plans."

Added Frontier President and COO Rolla Huff, "We believe this
transaction is the right move for both our customers and employees, who
will now be better able to draw upon the resources of one of the world's
leading wireless communications providers. At the same time, Frontier is
afforded additional resources to focus on growing our core data/Internet
businesses."

About Bell Atlantic Mobile
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.

About Frontier
Frontier Corporation (NYSE:FRO), is one of the leading providers of
integrated communications solutions -- including Internet, IP and data
applications, long distance, local telephone and wireless -- to business
customers nationwide. The self-healing Frontier Optronics Network^SM
provides customers with faster transmission speeds, greater bandwidth
capacity and unrivaled reliability. For more information, visit the
Frontier web site at www.frontiercorp.com.