April 2, 1996

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

Final Four Fans Purchase Unprecedented Levels Of Merchandise Via Wireless Point-Of-Sale Technology

BEDMINSTER, NJ -- "March Madness" culminated this year in unprecedented sales for ARAMARK, the food service and souvenir vendor at the Meadowlands, host of the Final Four, thanks to wireless telecommunications technology from Bell Atlantic Nynex Mobile and CellTel Data Services.

The two companies teamed to provide ARAMARK with the technology and service to perform secure wireless credit card verification, allowing ARAMARK to more than triple its number of souvenir stands accepting credit cards, regardless of whether telephone lines were available. The result was a "slam-dunk" for ARAMARK, with the company showing sales of more than $800,000 over the course of the Final Four weekend with a total of 2,400 credit card transactions -- 67 percent of them wireless. To meet ARAMARK's need for supplemental souvenir locations, Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile paired its AirBridge(R) Packet network service, which uses cellular digital packet data (CDPD) technology, with CellTel Data's CDPD-POP wireless point-of-sale terminals. To complete the solution, CellTel provided connectivity between ARAMARK and the credit card processor used by ARAMARK at the Meadowlands, CES/NaBANCO.

With a CDPD radio modem connected to the AirBridge network, ARAMARK wirelessly sent and received information about credit card limits and approvals in six seconds, on average. A typical landline connection takes nearly 20 seconds. Also, unlike other wireless options, the CDPD airlink

is encrypted for data security. The cost of CDPD-originated credit card transactions is comparable to those using standard landlines as well.

"Because we pride ourselves on unlimited partnerships, we went the extra mile to provide fans with every opportunity possible to purchase souvenirs and other items in the most convenient way possible," stated Paul Picardi, general manager of ARAMARK's Meadowlands Complex. "In addition to our fixed kiosks, this gave us the opportunity to create temporary souvenir stands based on the flow of the pedestrian traffic, not on the location of telephone lines. Once again, ARAMARK was able to exceed the expectations of its customers."

"CDPD technology provided ARAMARK with the portability it needed to expand its credit card verification capabilities and thus increase sales," stated John Ahsler, business development manager-financial transaction markets for Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile. "In fact, CDPD is a perfect match for credit and debit card processing because it provides a new level of speed, portability and security with a price at or below current wired alternatives."

CDPD is a technology that efficiently transmits short bursts or "packets" of data over the cellular infrastructure. Its completely open and widely supported standard offers inherent encryption to protect the user's data, and its specification is based on the widely used Internet protocol (TCP/IP) for ease of implementation. AirBridge Packet service complements the other wireless data services presently offered by Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile: AirBridge Fax, AirBridge Circuit-switched solutions, and AirBridge Gateway.

Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile, headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, is the largest wireless service provider on the East Coast and the second largest provider in the United States. The company offers a full range of wireless voice, data, and paging communications solutions to more than three million customers in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and, through a separate subsidiary, in the Southwest. The company was formed in July 1995 through the combination of Bell Atlantic Mobile's and NYNEX Mobile's cellular operations. The new company has more than 5,000 employees.

CellTel Data Services, Inc. was formed in 1994 to be a provider of wireless business solutions focusing on new electronic payment applications for traditional and emerging merchant markets. CellTel's products include a full complement of wireless transaction systems and innovative payment, communications and support services designed to open markets, speed deployment and service customers in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. CellTel overcomes complex business problems with turnkey business solutions.

ARAMARK Corporation, headquartered in Philadelphia, is a world leader in managed services, food and clothing services, health and child care services, sports and entertainment services, and magazine and book distribution services. ARAMARK has over 140,000 employees serving 15 million people at 500,000 locations in 11 countries every day. The employee-owned corporation recorded sales exceeding $5.6 billion in 1995. ARAMARK is proud of its more than 25-year association with the Olympic movement and its role as Food Service manager of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. ARAMARK prides itself on a philosophy of "unlimited customer partnerships."

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.

FAX copies of recent NYNEX news releases are available free of charge, 24 hours a day. Call 1-800-331-1214 and an automated system will provide instructions.

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