BAN Banco Lat.8%Pfd

RNS No 7244q
BELL ATLANTIC CORPORATION
27th January 1999
                                        Contact:
                                        David Frail   
                                        212-395-7726
                                        david.frail@bellatlantic.com


                   Strong Telecom and Wireless Volumes
             Drive Double-Digit Bell Atlantic Earnings Growth

       Adjusted EPS Up 11.3 Percent for Quarter, 11 Percent For Year

   NEW YORK, N.Y. - Bell Atlantic Corp. (NYSE: BEL) today announced its fourth
consecutive year of double-digit earnings growth, with 1998 adjusted earnings 
per diluted share increasing 11 percent to $2.72 from $2.45 in 1997.  Adjusted 
net income available to common shareowners rose 11.6 percent to $4.3 billion.

   Fourth quarter adjusted EPS increased to 69 cents, up 11.3 percent from 62
cents in fourth quarter 1997, with adjusted net income available to common
shareowners rising to $1.1 billion, up 11.8 percent from $970.9 million.

   Adjustments and reported results are described below.

   "Bell Atlantic had an excellent 1998," said Chairman and CEO lvan Seidenberg.
"We extended our track record for double-digit earnings growth to a fourth
consecutive year even while integrating Bell Atlantic and NYNEX following our
merger.  At the same time, we positioned ourselves to sustain this momentum and
even accelerate it by preparing to enter the richest new markets in
telecommunications."

   "Our Telecom Group benefited from a full year of robust across-the-board
demand for voice and data services and invested for growth, both through long
distance entry and through new data facilities and services, including our new
Infospeed DSL(SM) offering.  Our Wireless Group contributed nearly one-third of
last year's earnings growth and showed once again that it is one of the world's
strongest portfolios of domestic and international wireless assets.



   "Our performance was significantly enhanced by the cost savings, capital
efficiencies and revenue gains we generated from the Bell Atlantic-NYNEX merger.
These synergies helped us make significant progress toward becoming the kind of
diversified, multi-service provider that will participate fully in the
phenomenal growth of communications markets worldwide.  Our merger of equals
with GTE will be the most significant step in this transformation, and we're
looking forward to completing that transaction and getting to the next
competitive level."

   Adjusted revenues increased 4.5 percent for the quarter, to $8.1 billion, and
3.6 percent for the year, to $31.6 billion. Proportionate revenues from Bell
Atlantic's Telecom and Global Wireless businesses, which include Bell Atlantic's
share of revenues from unconsolidated wireless investments, rose 6.5 percent for
the quarter and 5.6 percent for the year.  Adjusted expenses increased 3.5
percent for the quarter and 2.2 percent for the year.

   Adjusted results exclude charges for special items.  These totaled 4 cents
per share in fourth quarter 1998 for merger transition costs and 2 cents per
share in fourth quarter 1997 for charges partially offset by certain one-time
gains. Charges in 1998 totaled 86 cents per share, primarily for completion of
a retirement incentive program, write-downs of certain international
investments, and merger transition charges.  Charges in 1997 totaled 89 cents
per share, largely for costs related to the Bell Atlantic-NYNEX merger.

   Reported fourth quarter net income available to common shareowners was $1.0
billion, or 65 cents per share, compared to $940.0 million, or 60 cents per
share, in fourth quarter 1997. Reported 1998 net income available to common
shareowners was $2.9 billion, or $1.86 per share, compared to $2.5 billion, or
$1.56 per share, in 1997.

                             Telecom Highlights

   With demand for communications services, particularly data and value-added
services, continuing at robust levels, Telecom Group revenue increased 3.5
percent over fourth quarter 1997.  The number of access lines in service grew
4.3 percent to 41.6 million, which, combined with continued demand for data
circuits, increased the number of voice-grade equivalents (access lines plus
data circuits) in service by 11.6 percent to 56.9 million.  Access minutes of
use increased 5.9 percent in the quarter and 7.8 percent for the full year.

   More than two-thirds of Telecom revenue growth for both the quarter and the
year came from sales of data services.  Data revenues, including those from
high-bandwidth packet-switched and special access services and Bell Atlantic's
network integration business, exceeded $2.3 billion for the year, 31 percent
over 1997 levels.

   The demand for digital connectivity and value-added features continued to
grow in all markets.  In the enterprise (large business) and general business
markets:

*  The number of "DS0' circuits in service (digital, high-bandwidth and
   packet-switched services as measured in 64-kilobit voice-grade equivalents)
   increased more than 38 percent over year-end 1997, to 16.6 million.


Bell Atlantic Earnings Release,p.3

*     Bell Atlantic ended 1998 with almost 519,000 basic rate Integrated
      Services Digital Network (ISDN) lines in service, up 19 Percent from
      year-end 1997, and the number of primary rate ISDN channels in service
      increased 75 percent to nearly 823,000.

In consumer markets:

*     Bell Atlantic ended the year with more than 2 million lines equipped to
      offer Infospeed DSL(SM), the company's high-bandwidth household service.
      Bell Atlantic Plans to equip more than 7.5 million lines for Infospeed by
      the end of 1999 and approximately 14 million lines by the end of 2000.

*     Vertical service revenues continued to grow as customers purchased new
      packages combining Caller ID, Return Call, Call Waiting, Home Voice Mail
      and other features. Caller ID revenues increased 42 percent in 1998, as
      the number of subscribers increased to 6.3 million, and Home Voice Mail
      revenues rose 16 percent.

In network services markets:

*     At the end of 1998, Bell Atlantic was providing other carriers with
      approximately 600,000 resold access lines and 70,000 unbundled loops.

*     Special access revenues for the year increased 22 percent to $1.5 billion.

Adjusted 1998 network operating expenses totaled $20.6 billion, 2.1 percent
above 1997 levels, with cash expenses up 1.5 percent.  Fourth quarter adjusted
operating expenses of $5.3 billion were 3.0 percent above fourth quarter 1997
levels, with cash expenses up 2.9 percent. Among the drivers of expense growth
were interconnection payments to competitive local exchange carriers, which
increased by approximately $175 million in 1998 over 1997 levels.

Wireless Highlights

Continued strong performance drove Wireless Group financial results to new
levels in 1998.  Solid fourth quarter gains by Bell Atlantic Mobile, PrimeCo
Personal Communications and one of the world's premier international wireless
portfolios enabled Wireless to set new marks for proportionate net subscribers,
revenues and operating income.

In line with Bell Atlantic's strategy to become a national and global wireless
business, international investments and PrimeCo Personal Communications
generated nearly 60 percent of the Group's revenue growth in 1998, and
international ventures contributed nearly half of the year's net subscriber
additions, approximately 1.1 million.


Proportionate subscribers increased more than 35 percent over fourth quarter
1997 to 8.6 million.  Proportionate net subscriber additions for the quarter
totaled 731,000, 41 percent more than the prior-year period.  Net customer
additions for the year totaled almost 2.2 million, 35 percent more than in 1997.

Total proportionate revenues increased 27.5 percent in the quarter, to a record
$1.3 billion, and totaled $4.6 billion for the year, 25 percent higher than in
1997.  Proportionate operating income for the quarter increased 20 percent to
$195 million.  Full-year operating income totaled $760 million, up nearly 41
percent over 1997.

Bell Atlantic's domestic properties capped a year of sustained growth with a
strong fourth quarter.  Bell Atlantic Mobile (BAM) added 302,000 customers in
the quarter -- 10,000 more than in fourth quarter 1997 -- and grew its
subscriber base to 6.2 million, 16 percent above year-end 1997.  The
introduction of DigitalChoice SingleRate price plans in September helped BAM
grow its digital subscriber base to more than 950,000 by year-end.
Approximately 40 percent of BAM busy-hour calls were on its digital networks.

Demand for PCS service in the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest fueled strong
growth at PrimeCo Personal Communications, with fourth quarter subscriber
additions of 196,000 bringing PrimeCo's total subscriber base to 902,000
up percent over year-end 1997. PrimeCo's year-end penetration rate of 2.2
percent of covered P0Ps was double the year-end 1997 rate.

Other domestic highlights:

*    BAM's total quarterly revenues were $923 million, 13 percent above fourth
quarter 1997. Total BAM revenues for the year were almost $3.5 billion, up 12
percent over 1997.

*    BAM's continued focus on expense control reduced acquisition costs per
subscriber by 15 percent to $184, compared to $217 in the prior-year period.
Cash expense per subscriber for the quarter was $25.

*    BAM operating cash flow for the quarter was $343 million, up 9 percent
over the prior-year period.  Operating cash flow margin in the fourth quarter
was 43 percent and 45 percent for the year.  Quarterly operating income of $202
million brought the full-year total to $821 million.  Dilution of total revenue
per subscriber declined to 3.2 percent in the quarter, nearly a full percentage
point lower than the full-year figure of 4.3 percent.

*   Total PrimeCo revenues for the quarter grew 98 percent over fourth quarter
1997 to $154 million.  Year-end revenues were $509 million, compared to $208
million in 1997. Average monthly revenue per subscriber was $53 in the quarter,
and $57 for the year.

The Group's portfolio of international investments rode the strong popularity
of prepaid wireless services and the increasing adoption of wireless as an
alternative to landline service to produce a growing share of Global Wireless
revenue and operating cash flow.




International proportionate net subscriber additions for the quarter totaled
336,000, almost double the prior-year period. International year-end
proportionate subscribers totaled approximately 2 million, up 144 percent over
1997.

International proportionate revenues for the quarter were $276 million, almost
double fourth quarter 1997, bringing the year-end total to $856 million, $393
million more than 1997. Proportionate operating income in the quarter grew to
$41 million, $24 million over fourth quarter 1997. Quarterly operating cash flow
grew to $83 million, totaling $250 million for 1998, 180 percent over the prior
year.

Other international highlights:

* Omnnitel Pronto Italia, Bell Atlantic's Italian wireless investment, added
more than a million customers in the quarter to pass the six-million customer
milestone. Omnitel is the third-largest GSM network wireless operator in
Europe.

* Grupo Iusacell in Mexico ended the quarter with approximately 755,000 
subscribers, an increase of 89 percent over year-end 1997. During the year
Iusacell adopted a number of Bell Atlantic Wireless Group strategies, including
new customer care and billing systems and a redesigned chain of retail stores,
to prepare for the arrival of new competition in Mexican wireless markets in
1999.

* Stet Hellas, Bell Atlantic's wireless investment in Greece, added 108,000 net
customers in the quarter, 130 percent higher than in fourth quarter 1997. The
company ended 1998 with more than 688,000 subscribers, 76 percent higher than
1997. In November, Stet Hellas announced that Germanos S.A., Greece's largest
telecommunications and electronics retailer, will distribute Stet Hellas'
complete range of products and services throughout its 100-store chain.


Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of the new communications and information
industry. With more than 42 million telephone access lines and 8.6 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.


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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