Ameritech Announces Dedicated Internet Access Service; Provides Seamless On-Ramp to Information Superhighway.

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 20, 1995--Ameritech today announced it is delivering fully managed, dedicated Internet access service, giving commercial customers high-speed access and the capacity to quickly download more information, graphics and video from the worldwide information superhighway.

Ameritech will offer the service to customers in medium-to-large metropolitan areas throughout its region. The announcement follows a limited offering of the service in Chicago and parts of Michigan -- Detroit, Grand Rapids, Saginaw and Lansing.

"Dedicated Internet access allows companies to offer users access to extensive services including e-mail, Gopher and the World Wide Web," said Terry Dean, product marketing manager, Ameritech Dedicated Internet Services. "Dedicated service also provides users a higher throughput, meaning they can download bandwidth-intensive data such as video and multimedia more quickly."

Ameritech Dedicated Internet Access Service can provide the hardware and network connections to get users on-line quickly and hassle free. The service provides: a router; CSU/DSU; assistance with routing, security planning and domain name registration; 24-hour router and network monitoring; and Internet access over either Ameritech Frame Relay or Connectionless Broadband Data Services (CBDS). The service is available at speeds of 56 Kbps (kilobits per second) and T1 or 1.54 Mbps (megabits per second).

"Many organizations have found that dedicated Internet access is the key to outsmarting their competition without outspending them," Dean said. "Such access gives businesses a competitive edge, allowing them to keep current on the ever-changing marketplace, expand their potential markets, shorten sales cycles and improve communications between their customers, prospects and suppliers."

An automotive parts supplier, for example, could use the Internet to put part specifications and a catalogue on line or to learn more about the North American Free Trade Agreement.

"He could easily navigate to the White House home page on the World Wide Web, and get the latest text on the agreement," Dean said. "Other businesses could design their own home page to improve their business prospects."

Schools and universities, as well as healthcare providers, also can benefit from dedicated Internet access, which gives them the ability to share research or patient information, access medical databases or the Library of Congress or participate in on-line debates.

In addition to the network connection, hardware and suuport services, Ameritech can also assist customers in applying to InterNic, the Internet Society, for a domain name service. Users also need a TCP/IP compatible LAN, a UNIX-based server, and client software. Customers also have a choice of long-distance Internet access providers.

Ameritech is backed by a team of professionals who are experts at integrating data, voice and video to meet an organization's needs. To learn more about Ameritech Dedicated Internet Access Service, call 1-800-TEAM DATA (832-6328).

Ameritech, one of the world's largest communications companies, helps more than 13 million customers keep in touch. The company provides a wide array of local phone, data and video services in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. Ameritech is creating dozens of new information, entertainment and interactive services for homes, businesses and governments around the world.

One of the world's leading cellular companies, Ameritech serves almost 1.3 million cellular and 635,000 paging customers, and holds cellular interests in Norway and Poland. Ameritech owns interests in telephone companies in New Zealand and Hungary and in business directories in Germany and other countries. Nearly 1 million investors hold Ameritech (NYSE:AIT) shares.

BACKGROUNDER -- AMERITECH'S INTERNET INITIATIVES

Ameritech's goal in offering Internet access is to make an Internet "link up" as easy as making a phone call. The Internet used to be for "network junkies." Now it's for the "Scientific American" reader, and soon the "Sixty Minutes" viewer. Ameritech is working to extend Internet access to everyone, both consumers and business users, in a reliable, affordable and secure manner.

Offering Internet services makes sense for Ameritech because it fits the company's portfolio of interactive services. Ameritech is a premier provider of advanced services and technology designed to help customers remain on the leading edge and has a tradition of providing universal, reliable service.

Ameritech's Internet initiatives include:

o Operating a Network Access Point for Internet service providers Ameritech is one of four providers selected by the National Science Foundation in 1993 to offer a Network Access Point -- or NAP -- for the Internet in the United States. The designation is part of the National Science Foundation's efforts to develop a new architecture for the Internet, one that can accommodate the widest range of users. There are four U.S. NAPs, each offering a "meeting point" for Internet service providers. Ameritech will operate its NAP over an Transfer Mode (ATM) switch.

o Offering dedicated Internet access throughout the Ameritech region Ameritech is offering dedicated access to the Internet, which allows customers to gain access as a value-added service with Frame Relay or SMDS-based Connectionless Broadband Data Service. The service, useful for commercial and institutional customers, offers high-speed access and the throughput, to transport bandwidth-intensive data such as video and multimedia quickly.

o Offering dial-up Internet access throughout the Ameritech region by the end of the year.

Later this year, Ameritech will offer simple, local dial-up Internet access for customers using analog modems or Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN). Ameritech is currently trialing the dial up services in Champaign County, IL., as part of the company's Champaign County Network or CCNet initiative. Ameritech will also be providing customers simple, affordable, high-speed local access to the Internet from their homes through Ameritech's residential ISDN Direct service by the end of the year. Tariffs for ISDN Direct have been approved by all states in the Ameritech region but Ameritech is not yet offering Internet access as part of the service.

o Offering Internet navigational software through Ameritech Library Services NetPublisher and WinPAC are two products introduced by Ameritech Library Services, a subsidiary of Ameritech, that make the Internet easier to access and navigate. WinPAC, a Windows-based graphical interface, makes Internet navigation easy, providing simple, affordable access to thousands of databases available on the Internet. NetPublisher is a World Wide Web, Gopher and Z39.50 server that enables organizations to catalog and organize resources of all media types, including text, image, audio, video and multimedia. The system provides organizations with an easy way to make information available to its employees, customers, shareholders and other interested groups or individuals.

o Partnering to develop the Internet as a tool for electronic commerce Ameritech joined CommerceNet in January 1995 as part of its commitment to developing the Internet as major component of the information superhighway. CommerceNet is a non-profit consortium of organizations that are working to build an open Internet-based infrastructure for electronic commerce.

o Partnering with the state of Michigan to use the Internet to enhance education Ameritech is working with the state of Michigan to develop a network that will assist educators in using the Internet in their classrooms, and providing technical and curricular support for Internet services. Initially, the center will focus on Michigan with possible movement to other Ameritech states.

o Maintaining its own presence on the Internet Today, Ameritech appears on the Internet with its own home page at http://www.ameritech.com. The Internet server makes information easily accessible for all Internet users -- whether they're equipped with the latest multimedia or the simplest text-only browser. Users have access to a variety of information about Ameritech, including current financial information, news releases, product and service descriptions, and biographies of corporate officers.

CONTACT: Ameritech

Rich Maganini, 312-364-2134