America Online and Arch Communications Plan to Deliver Wireless AOL Applications for 'AOL Mobile Messenger'.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

DULLES, Va./WESTBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2000

Wireless Devices Nationwide Will Offer Users Popular AOL 

Communications Features Through Arch's Wireless Two-Way Messaging

Capabilities

America Online, Inc. (NYSE: AOL), the world's leading interactive services company, and Arch Communications Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: APGR), one of the largest wireless messaging and mobile data providers in the United States, today announced that AOL has selected Arch to provide two-way wireless messaging capabilities for its new AOL Mobile Messenger service and plans to offer AOL's e-mail and AOL Instant Messenger(sm) (AIM) services to consumers using devices enabled with Arch's messaging capabilities.

AOL Mobile Messenger will extend AOL Mail and AIM to wireless devices. The three-year agreement will provide AOL members and users of AIM easy and convenient access to these services through Arch's interactive messaging capabilities. In the future, AOL also plans to offer additional AOL content and commerce applications via Arch-enabled wireless devices.

AOL Wireless, a significant component of the "AOL Anywhere"(sm) strategy, will bring AOL's most popular features and services to a wide range of wireless devices. AOL's 21 million members and tens of millions of users of its other Web brands will be able to easily extend their interactive experience to the wireless platform in a convenient, easy-to-use and valuable way. Users will be able to check their e-mail, exchange Instant Messages, and access AOL's other popular and consumer-friendly features and brands.

"With AOL Anywhere, our priority is to provide our customers with a mobile AOL experience that's dependable and easy-to-use, consistent with their AOL desktop experience," said Bob Pittman, President and Chief Operating Officer of America Online. "With AOL members and AIM users exchanging more than 110 million e-mails and over 600 million instant messages daily, we are always looking for new ways to offer them access to these popular features. Arch's high-quality interactive messaging services will give us the technical capability to offer our customers a seamless, mobile AOL experience."

C. Edward Baker, Jr., Arch Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said: "Arch is extremely pleased to have been selected by AOL, one of the world's most respected and innovative companies. We are especially pleased that AOL has recognized the virtues of our ReFlex 25 two-way wireless messaging protocol and the advantages of our networks and portable wireless devices. Together, AOL and Arch are taking the Internet a step forward by providing millions of Internet users access to the same high-quality functionality they experience online at the desktop, wirelessly, including the ability to communicate anytime - anywhere. At a time when Arch is launching its initiatives in the dynamic two-way wireless messaging market, we couldn't ask for a better head start than partnering with a company of AOL's stature, capabilities, brand recognition, and market presence. We believe this agreement is an important step in the evolution of the messaging industry from an alert notification business to one that will play an essential role in the transfer of wireless mobile data via the Internet and corporate intranets. As wireless phones were a natural extension of landline phones, we believe Arch's ReFlex 25 wireless messaging platform is a natural extension of the Internet.

About America Online, Inc.

Founded in 1985, America Online, Inc., based in Dulles, VA., is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies, and e-commerce services. America Online, Inc. operates: two worldwide Internet services, America Online, with more than 21 million members, and CompuServe, with more than 2.5 million members; several leading Internet brands including ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger and Digital City, Inc.; the Netscape Netcenter and AOL.COM portals; the Netscape Navigator and Communicator browsers; AOL MovieFone, the nation's No. 1 movie listing guide and ticketing service; Spinner Networks and NullSoft, Inc., leaders in Internet music; and Digital Marketing Services, a company specializing in online rewards programs and online market research. Through its strategic alliance with Sun Microsystems, the company develops and offers easy-to-deploy, end-to-end e-commerce and enterprise solutions for companies operating in the Net Economy.

About Arch

Arch Communications Group, Inc., Westborough, MA, is a leading U.S. wireless messaging company with annual revenues in excess of $800 million. Arch provides local, regional and nationwide wireless communications services to customers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and in the Caribbean. Arch operates approximately 300 offices and company-owned stores across the country. Arch recently announced an agreement to merge with Paging Network, Inc. to create a wireless messaging and communications company with annual revenues of approximately $1.6 billion. Additional information on Arch is available on the Internet at www.arch.com.

Arch Communications' Safe harbor statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements contained in this news release which are not historical fact, such as forward-looking statements concerning future financial performance and growth, involve risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with consummation of teh PageNet transaction and those described in Arch's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. Although Arch believes the expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expectations include integration challenges, future capital needs, and other risks. Any forward-looking statements represent the best judgment of Arch as of the date of this release. Arch disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements.