Bell Atlantic Marketing Atlantic.Net Service To Businesses and Consumers in North

Bell Atlantic.net is currently being marketed to customers in Northern New Jersey. Bill inserts announcing the service's availability were mailed to consumers in this market beginning September 3. The offer to consumers includes an introductory trial period of 30 days free, unlimited Internet access.

Bell Atlantic.net makes using the Internet as easy as making a phone call. The services' simple-to-use navigation and information directories link customers to useful resources, events, organizations and services in their local community, so they can plan a week-end vacation, research day care options or find information useful in running a small business. Bell Atlantic.net also provides easy access to the best of global resources, places and information in hundreds of interest areas.

"There are hundreds of interesting and informative Web sites right in our own backyards," said Bob Beran, president - Bell Atlantic Internet Solutions. "Bell Atlantic.net subscribers --whether experienced users or novices -- will find our service gives them easy access to this local information, as well as to thousands of other global sites on the Internet."

Bell Atlantic.net features the Netscape Navigator(B) browser and will add the Microsoft (C)Internet Explorer browser later in the year, to provide increased customer choice. Bell Atlantic.net subscribers will also have access to Cyber Patrol(D), a tool that enables parents to manage and control their children's Internet access, at a sharply discounted rate. Communications services for staying in touch with family, friends and colleagues are also readily accessible, including e-mail, chat and newsgroups. The service includes superior customer service and technical support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the high reliability customers have come to expect from Bell Atlantic.

Designed to meet both personal and business needs, Bell Atlantic.net will help business users find information and resources to start, run and/or grow their business. It will provide access to news, market, networking and technology information necessary for a business to stay competitive. Communication among workers, suppliers and customers will also be simplified.

The price for Bell Atlantic.net is as low as $19.95 per month for unlimited access, depending on the customer's choice of Global Service Provider (GSP). The fee for a Global Service Provider, a company providing the interexchange portion of the service, can run as low as $2 a month for unlimited access. There also is a yearly plan and an hourly plan for Bell Atlantic.net. The yearly plan enables customers to realize a monthly savings of eight percent by signing up for one year of unlimited access. Under the hourly plan, users can pay as low as $6.95 a month for five hours (depending on the GSP chosen), plus $1.95 for each additional hour.

The above rates apply for both analog modem access and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) access. ISDN, which is available to virtually every Bell Atlantic telephone subscriber, provides dial-up connection to the Internet that is ten times faster than the typical modem dial up connection.

The minimum system requirements for Bell Atlantic.net are a 386 Intel- equipped, IBM-compatible PC, 8 megabytes of memory, 6 megabytes of free hard disk space, a14.4 kilobits per second modem, and a three and one-half inch floppy disk drive. Bell Atlantic.net currently works with Microsoft Windows(C) 3.1, 3.11 and Windows 95(C). An Apple(E) Macintosh(E) of the software will be available shortly.