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RNS No 6360d
BELL ATLANTIC CORPORATION
21st October 1998


Bell Atlantic Third Quarter Adjusted EPS Rises 11.3%


               Operating Income Increases 12.4%;
           Data, Wireless Drive Higher Revenue Growth

NEW YORK -- Strong operating perfomance in its key business units produced
third quarter 1998 adjusted earnings per share for Bell Atlantic (NYSE:BEL) of
69 cents, 11.3 percent above third quarter 1997 EPS of 62 cents.  EPS figures
are on a diluted basis.  Third quarter adjusted net income of $ 1.1 billion was
12.7 percent higher than third quarter 1997 net income of $969.4 million.

Third-quarter results have been adjusted for charges announced on Oct. 13, 
mainly non-cash in nature, primarily for the completion of a retirement 
incentive program, write-downs of certain international investments, and 
merger transition charges.  The charges total $.70 per share and result in a 
reported net loss for the quarter of $ (8.1) million, or one cent per share.  
In the third quarter of 1997, Bell Atlantic reported a net loss of 
$(80.1) million, or five cents per share, due to charges largely for the 
Bell Atlantic-NYNEX merger.

Consolidated revenues grew 5.0 percent over third quarter 1997, substantially 
higher than the growth rate in the first half of the year.  Proportionate 
revenues from Bell Atlantic's Telecom and Global Wireless businesses, which 
include Bell Atlantic's share of revenue from its unconsolidated wireless 
investments, increased 7.0 percent.

Consolidated operating income increased 12.4 percent, to $2.0 billion.

For the first nine months of 1998, adjusted net income available to common 
shareowners rose 11.5 percent to $3.2 billion, and adjusted EPS was $2.03, 
10.3 percent higher than $1.84 in the first nine months of 1997.  
Nine-month EPS figures have been adjusted for special items totaling 82 cents 
per share in 1998 and 87 cents per share in 1997.  Reported net income
available to common shareowners was $1.9 billion compared to $1.5 billion in 
the prior-year period.  Reported nine-month EPS was $1.21, compared to $.97 for
the first nine months of 1997.

"With four quarters as a new company under our belt, we can say unequivocally
that we have delivered on the promise of the Bell Atlantic-NYNEX merger," said
Ivan Seidenberg, Bell Atlantic vice chairman, president and CEO.

"Our new scale and scope, and the combination of our best operations and 
marketing practices, have helped us increase sales, improve productivity and 
achieve expense savings. With our merger synergies, we have been able to 
produce solid operating results in our key businesses and fund our entry into 
new markets as well.

"Now that the impact of the July 1997-June 1998 access charge reductions is 
behind us, our Telecom revenue growth of four percent tracks more closely with
the record business volumes we've been experiencing all year," Seidenberg said.
"We're also seeing our first-half marketing initiatives pay off in strong growth
in vertical services.

"Almost half of our Telecom revenue gains came from sales of data-related
services, which is a clear sign of where our future opportunities lie.  We are
rapidly building the network capabilities to provide the high-speed, digital
connectivity that our customers require, whether they are global enterprises or
small businesses or individual households.  We've just launched our mass-market
connectivity product, Infospeed DSL, and already the response is exceeding our
expectations.

"A key enabler for data services is long distance entry.  We anticipate filing 
our New York application with the Federal Communications Commission in the 
fourth quarter, and we are working toward state support in Pennsylvania 
as well.  Given our commitment to open markets, we stand an excellent chance of
gaining FCC approval and completing our product set.

"Wireless, of course, will be part of that product set.  Global Wireless did 
another masterful job of driving subscriber and revenue growth and 
profitability in the face of intense competition by introducing a new digital 
pricing model at Bell Atlantic Mobile and accelerating the already rapid 
growth of our international investments.

"Global Wireless will set the example for competitive entrepreneurship, 
innovation and accountability as we reorganize into six business units, each 
with the resources and people they need to succeed in competitive markets," 
Seidenberg said.  "We're well into the planning process, and we will enter 1999
fully prepared to anticipate and meet customers' requirements for new services 
and shareowners requirements for earnings growth."

                         Telecom Highlights

Demand for communications services in the Bell Atlantic region, particularly 
data and vertical services such as Caller ID, drove Telecom revenue growth up 
4.0 percent over third quarter 1997.  The number of access lines in service 
grew 4.5 percent to 41.3 million, and access minutes of use increased 
8.5 percent.  More than two-thirds of Telecom revenue growth came from sales of
data and vertical services.


Demand for digital data services increased in all markets, particularly in the
enterprise (large business) and general business markets:

-  The number of "DSO" circuits in service (digital, high-bandwidth and
   packet-switched services as measured in 64-kilobit voice-grade equivalents)
   increased more than 43 percent over third quarter 1997.

-  Revenues from high-bandwidth packet-switched and special access services,
   and from BANI, Bell Atlantic's network integration business, reached $597
   million in the quarter, 30 percent over third quarter 1997 levels.

-  Bell Atlantic ended the quarter with nearly 500,000 basic rate Integrated
   Services Digital Network (ISDN) lines in service, up 22 percent from third
   quarter 1997, and the number of primary rate ISDN channels in service more
   than doubled, to more than 715,000.

In consumer markets:

-  New pricing packages and targeted campaigns drove substantial gains in sales
   of vertical services such as Caller ID, Return Call, Call Waiting and Home
   Voice Mail.  Revenues from these services were up 15.5 percent compared to
   the prior-year period.  Revenues from Caller ID and Caller ID Dcluxe grew 48
   percent, as the number of subscribers increased to 6.2 million, with a
   penetration rate approaching 24 percent.  Revenues from Home Voice Mail
   service rose 19.5 percent.

-  Bell Atlantic launched high-capacity digital Infospeed DSL service on 
   Oct.5 to consumers in the Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh areas.  Initial 
   results indicate strong interest in the service, which is packaged with 
   Internet access. More than 2,000 requests for the service were registered 
   at the Infospeed website (www.bellatlantic.com/infospecd) in the first week 
   after the launch.

In network services markets:

-  At the end of the quarter, Bell Atlantic was providing other carriers with
   approximately 540,000 resold access fines and 60,000 unbundled loops.

Adjusted quarterly network operating expenses of $5.2 billion were 1.8 percent 
above third quarter 1997 levels, with cash expenses up 1.1 percent, as the 
company continued to realize expense savings and productivity gains from the 
Bell Atlantic-NYNEX merger.


                      Global Wireless Highlights

Global Wireless posted one of its strongest quarters ever, with vigorous 
performance at Bell Atlantic Mobile (BAM) and PrimeCo Personal Communications, 
Bell Atlantic's domestic PCS partnership, as well as increasingly strong 
contributions from its International Wireless portfolio of investments.

Proportionate subscribers increased 35 percent over third quarter 1997 to 7.9 
million,  with proportionate net subscriber additions in the quarter totaling
549,000, 53 percent more than in the prior-year period.  Domestic properties and
international investments each contributed approximately half of the net
additions, demonstrating Global Wireless's strength across its entire 
portfolio.

Total proportionate revenues for the group increased 27.5 percent and reached 
$1.2 billion, with international ventures and PrimeCo generating more than 
60 percent of the growth.  Proportionate operating income reached $242 million,
up 33 percent from third quarter 1997.


Bell Atlantic's domestic wireless properties continued their strong customer 
and revenue growth.  With 207,000 net subscriber additions, BAM ended the 
quarter with 5.9 million customers, 17 percent higher than third quarter 1997. 
PrimeCo ended the quarter with 108,000 net subscriber additions and grew its 
subscriber base 170 percent, to 706,600.  BAM revenues for the quarter grew 
$100 million, or 12.5 percent to $903 million, and total PrimcCo revenues grew
to $131 million, up $76 million over third quarter 1997, with average monthly
revenue per subscriber of $57.

Domestic highlights:

-  BAM's digital subscriber base climbed to more than 565,000 during the
   quarter, driven in part by the introduction of the company's new
   Digital Choice Single Rate  price plans late in the third quarter.  Early
   results indicate the all-inclusive flat rate plans are successfully retaining
   and attracting high-usage wireless subscribers.  Twenty percent of new
   subscribers in the quarter took a DigitalChoice sm plan, and digital
   subscribers now generate approximately 30 percent of BAM busy-hour network
   traffic.

-  BAM reduced acquisition costs per new subscriber 11 percent to $202,
   compared to $226 in the prior-year period.  BAM also reduced cash expense per
   subscriber by over 5 percent to a record low of $23.61.

-  BAM operating cash flow for the quarter was $370 million, with operating
   cash flow margins exceeding 47 percent.  Operating incorne grew 8 percent 
   to $234.4 million.

-  J.D. Power and Associates' 1998 U.S. Wireless Customer Satisfaction Study 
   named BAM the leader in overall customer satisfaction among wireless
   users in New York, Boston.  Washington/Baltimore and Pittsburgh.  Survey
   respondents rated call quality the most important factor in their choice.

-  PrimeCo extended its Prime Travel digital and analog coverage areas through
   roaming agreements with several leading wireless carriers, expanding the
   company's footprint to 90 percent of the U.S. population.


The International Wireless portfolio set new milestones for net subscriber 
additions, revenue and operating cash flow.  International proportionate 
subscribers now exceed 1.6 million, as International Wireless made 291,000 
proportionate net additions in the quarter, more than double the additions in 
third quarter 1997.  International proportionate revenues doubled over third 
quarter 1997, climbing to $251 million.  Proportionate operating income more 
than tripled to $49 million, and operating cash flow more than doubled 
to $70 million.

International highlights:

-  Grupo lusacell in Mexico ended the quarter with more than 660,000
   subscribers, an increase of 95 percent over third quarter 1997.  Iusacell's
   net customer additions in the quarter were the highest in its history.

-  Omnitel Pronto Italia added more than a million subscribers in the
   quarter, bringing its total to almost 5 million.  Omnitel is now the
   third-largest wireless carrier in Europe.

-  STET Hellas in Greece saw net subscriber additions of 76,000 and ended the
   quarter with more than 580,000 subscribers, a 68 percent increase over third
   quarter 1997.

Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of the new communications and information 
industry.  With 42 million telephone access lines and 8 million wireless 
customers worldwide, Bell Atlantic companies are premier providers of advanced 
wireline voice and data services, market leaders in wireless services and the 
world's largest publishers of directory information.  Bell Atlantic companies 
are also among the world's largest investors in high-growth global 
communications markets, with operations and investments in 23 countries.

Bell Atlantic news releases, executive speeches, news media contacts and other 
useful information are available at Bell Atlantic's News Center on the World 
Wide Web (www,ba.com).  To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the 
News Center and register for personalized automatic delivery of Bell Atlantic 
news releases.

NOTE: This press release contains statements about expected future events and 
financial results that are forward-looking and subject to risks and 
uncertainties.  For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe 
harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities 
Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Discussion of factors that may affect future 
results is contained in our recent filings with the Securities and Exchange 
Commission.


END

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