BellSouth #10 in Fortune's `50 Best Companies for Minorities'.

Business Editors

Fortune recognizes BellSouth for fifth consecutive year

Fortune magazine recognized BellSouth Corporation (NYSE:BLS) today as #10 on its annual "America's Best Companies for Minorities" survey.

This is the fifth consecutive year that BellSouth has ranked among the nation's top companies on this prestigious listing.

"BellSouth has customers worldwide, in addition to our diverse markets throughout the U.S. To understand the varied demands of such a diverse marketplace and succeed, we must continue to develop a workforce that is varied in cultural backgrounds, attitudes and ways of thinking," said Duane Ackerman, chairman and CEO of BellSouth. "BellSouth strives everyday to embrace and demonstrate diversity and inclusion in our workplace and throughout the communities in which our employees work and live."

Fortune selects and ranks companies based on a total of 13 different qualitative and quantitative categories. Criteria for the rankings include the number of new hires made up by minorities and whether a company ties its performance reviews and bonuses to diversity goals.

Last year, minorities accounted for 40 percent of all new hires, and comprised 31 percent of BellSouth's total workforce. During the same period, 39 percent of BellSouth's corporate officers were minorities or women.

BellSouth takes the term `diversity' one step further with a strategic focus on inclusion. BellSouth views inclusion as a business approach that embraces employees' diverse characteristics in a way that engages all employees at all levels, fostering both individual success as well as the success of the company. Some examples of inclusion at BellSouth include:

    --  Company-sanctioned networking or affinity groups, including:

        --  BellSouth Alianza - Alliance for Hispanic Employees

        --  BNAT - BellSouth Network of African-American
            Telecommunications Professionals

        --  BellSouth NewANGLE - New Associates Networking for Gay and
            Lesbian Equality

        --  A Women's networking group to be launched later this year

    --  Charitable Giving programs:

        --  Annually, 45 percent of all charitable contributions
            support organizations that directly benefit minorities.

        --  In 2001, African-American organizations received 23
            percent of BellSouth's total annual charitable giving
            funds.

    --  Diversity/Inclusion Balanced Scorecard:

        --  Ties individual performances and bonuses at the corporate
            officer-level to the achievement of diversity and
            inclusion goals.

    --  Training:

        --  In 2001, BellSouth implemented a diversity/inclusion
            training program entitled, "Inclusion: A Business
            Imperative."

        --  Last year, more than 1,500 senior-level executives
            received the training.

Two years ago, Ron Frieson was named the company's first-ever chief diversity officer. Frieson is responsible for setting the strategic direction and implementation of the corporate diversity and inclusion strategy. Frieson, along with BellSouth's Chairman's Diversity Council, ensures that diversity and inclusion is reflected in all business activities including employment, advertising, marketing, purchasing, deployment of services, and philanthropic efforts. Frieson reports directly to Ackerman.

"At BellSouth, we believe that diversity - and fostering an inclusive workforce - is not only the right thing to do, it is critical to maintaining a competitive advantage in today's global marketplace," Frieson said. "From a business perspective, we believe a diverse workplace enriches our environment, leads to a more fulfilling employee experience, which in turn leads to greater customer satisfaction and ultimately, increases value to our shareholders."

Fortune's recognition closely follows several other prestigious awards honoring BellSouth's commitment to inclusion. This year, Hispanic Magazine ranked BellSouth among its top companies providing opportunities for Hispanics. Computerworld, a leading technology publication, recently recognized BellSouth as one of the best and most diverse places to work in information technology [IT]. And, the State of Georgia last month awarded BellSouth with the Corporate Citizenship Award for the company's support of minority suppliers.

BellSouth

BellSouth Corporation is a Fortune 100 communications services company headquartered in Atlanta, GA, serving nearly 45 million customers in the United States and 14 other countries.

Consistently recognized for customer satisfaction, BellSouth provides a full array of broadband data and e-commerce solutions to business customers, including Web hosting and other Internet services. In the residential market, BellSouth offers DSL high-speed Internet access, advanced voice features and other services. BellSouth also provides online and directory advertising services, including BellSouth(R) Real Pages(SM).com. BellSouth owns 40 percent of Cingular Wireless, the nation's second largest wireless company, which provides innovative wireless data and voice services.