Bell Atlantic Mobile Donations Make Street Safer for New Jersey School Children

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Parents in five New Jersey communities will send their children back to school on safer streets, thanks to wireless phones donated by Bell Atlantic Mobile. School crossing guards in Garfield, Hanover Township, Highland Park, Neptune and Kearny have been outfitted with 25 wireless phones programmed
to dial 9-1-1 at the touch of a button to quickly and easily summon help in emergencies. Each town will receive five phones.

"Every day, school crossing guards are on the front lines protecting our children as they navigate busy streets and intersections on their way to class," said Charles Hand, president of Bell Atlantic Mobile's New York Metro region. "These phones will ensure that they can summon help immediately without leaving their posts. These phones will put safety in the palms of their hands."

The 25 phones donated by Bell Atlantic Mobile are part of the company's "Wireless At Work" community service program, one of a series of company initiatives designed to bring the benefits of wireless technology to communities throughout the New York/New Jersey metro area.

Over the past two years, the company has donated more than 800 wireless phones in the area, including nearly 350 to crossing guards. In addition, more than 450 phones have been distributed to local prosecutors and battered women's shelters to assist victims of domestic violence. Last January, the company introduced an innovative cellular phone recycling program that has dramatically expanded its ability to get emergency phones into the hands of citizens at risk. To date, more than 6,000 old and unused cellular phones have been collected by community organizations and reprogrammed by Bell Atlantic Mobile to assist domestic violence victims as well as crossing guards and community watch groups.

Bell Atlantic Mobile owns and operates the largest wireless network in the East and systems in the Southwest, covering 180,000 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 6.6 million customers and 8,000 employees from Maine to Georgia and in parts of Arizona, New Mexico and west Texas. 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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