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RNS No 4560u
GTE CORPORATION
19 May 1999


                 GTE shareholders overwhelmingly approve 
                      GTE/Bell Atlantic merger


GTE  shareholders  yesterday (18  May  1999)  overwhelmingly
approved the company's merger with Bell Atlantic.  The  vote
was  announced  at  the  GTE annual shareholder  meeting  in
Atlanta.

The company said 96.7 percent of the votes submitted were in
favour of the transaction.

"Our  shareholders  have  given  us  a  resounding  vote  of
confidence,"  said  GTE Chairman and  CEO  Charles  R.  Lee.
"Achieving  this significant milestone puts us well  on  our
way  to  completing our merger of equals with Bell Atlantic.
In  fact, just over a week ago, the US Department of Justice
cleared  the merger after an exhaustive review,  finding  no
competitive issues in our vast combined wireline businesses.
The  shareholder  approval brings  us  one  step  closer  to
creating  a top-tier telecommunications provider  that  will
bring new services to millions of consumers."

The  company  said  that approximately  76  percent  of  the
outstanding shares were voted for the merger, far  exceeding
the  two-thirds  approval threshold required.   Today,  Bell
Atlantic  shareholders  will vote on  the  merger  at  their
annual meeting in Atlanta.

The  merger  has  won the support of numerous organisations,
including  the AFL-CIO, Communications Workers  of  America,
the  International  Brotherhood of Electrical  Workers,  the
League  of  United  Latin  American Citizens,  Rainbow  Push
Coalition,  and  dozens of businesses and community  leaders
from areas served by GTE and Bell Atlantic.

About GTE

With 1998 revenues of more than $25billion, GTE is a leading
telecommunications  provider  with  one  of  the  industry's
broadest  arrays of products and services.   In  the  United
States, GTE provides local service in 28 states and wireless
service  in  17 states, as well as nationwide long-distance,
directory, and internetworking services ranging from dial-up
Internet access for residential and small-business consumers
to   Web-based  applications  for  Fortune  500   companies.
Outside  the United States, the company serves customers  on
five continents.


END

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