November 29, 1995

NYNEX CONTACT: Media Relations, (212) 395-0500

Telecom Service Providers and Equipment Vendors Announce Plans to Make Mass-Market ISDN as Easy as 1-2-3

ATLANTA, GA -- ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) will soon be as easy to order, set up and use for the mass market as any other telecommunications service because of a major initiative announced today by a number of the nation's ISDN equipment manufacturers and telecommunications companies.

The telecommunications companies currently involved in this effort include AT&T, Ameritech, BellSouth, NYNEX and Pacific Bell. Other companies participating include Boca Research, IBM, Intel Corp., Motorola, and U.S. Robotics. Additional companies are expected to become involved over the next several months. These companies service a majority of the local and long distance telephone market and a significant percentage of the personal computer market.

The initial goal of this initiative is to develop a few standard codes that would be easily identified by customers and highlighted in the documentation provided with the ISDN equipment the customer has purchased. These codes would represent to any of the participating telephone companies a certain type and configuration of ISDN service. This ISDN equipment will be able to be tested for compatibility with these codes. Testing could be performed by switch vendors and service providers at their labs.

ISDN service is widely available across the nation, and customers are finding new and exciting applications for this high-speed service. While ISDN equipment is easily obtained, ISDN is still viewed by the average customer as a complex service.

Many experts believe that the mass market is finally ready for ISDN service and expect an explosive growth in demand. They point to Internet access, work-at-home applications, high-speed video and data transmission, coupled with enhanced voice features, making ISDN the perfect solution for a wide variety of residence and business needs.

This effort complements a major undertaking by the North American ISDN User's Forum (NIUF) toward standardizing ISDN ordering codes.

However, even with the steps that have already been taken to simplify ISDN ordering and provisioning, the average customer can find ISDN confusing. By focusing on a few standard codes that this consortium is supporting, customers would have the option of simply buying the ISDN equipment that offers the features and functionality they require, check the user's manual for the ISDN code that the manufacturer recommends, and call the local and long distance service provider to order service using these codes.

The companies involved are also expected to announce, on a company- by-company basis, other initiatives -- making ISDN easy to order, set up and use. These will be announced over the next few months. An announcement detailing the new "mass market" ISDN ordering codes will be made later this month.

NYNEX is a global communications and media company that provides a full range of services in the northeastern United States and high-growth markets around the world, including the United Kingdom, Thailand, Gibraltar, Greece, Indonesia, the Philippines, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

The Corporation is a leader in the telecommunications, wireless communications, cable television, directory publishing and entertainment and information services.

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