BellSouth Reaches Out To DSL Customers.

Business Editors & Technology Writers

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 2, 2001

In the wake of recent changes among certain providers in the DSL industry, BellSouth Corp. (NYSE: BLS) today established dedicated customer support channels for customers left without broadband access as a result of DSL providers discontinuing the availability of their broadband offerings.

These channels will provide new customers with the same high level of service provided to current BellSouth customers.

Businesses that face the prospect of losing their high-speed connection to the Internet can call a special toll free number (1-877-544-2DSL) staffed with BellSouth customer service representatives who have been trained to manage this unique situation. Likewise, Internet Service Providers, CLECs and other wholesalers who are impacted by this unique situation and are interested in reselling BellSouth DSL service, should contact their BellSouth account executive or call 1-800-476-3223. These representatives can work with business customers to assess their needs and get these customers reconnected to the Internet with a minimum of downtime.

Residential customers interested in BellSouth(R) FastAccess(R) Internet service can get more information online at www.fastaccess.com or by calling 1-888-321-ADSL.

"BellSouth recognizes how important broadband can be to the livelihood of a business and we want to assure customers that we are here to serve them," said Bill Story, vice president of broadband marketing for BellSouth. "Recently,

customers have been stranded when their current provider closed their doors or pulled back on expansion plans. We are anxious to assist customers who would like to transition to BellSouth."

BellSouth has been an industry leader in deploying remote neighborhood solutions to enable full rate DSL services to reach a broader customer base. This year, the company plans to aggressively expand deployment of additional central offices and remote solutions with a goal of increasing coverage to more than 70% of the households in BellSouth's markets by the end of the year. Currently, BellSouth DSL is available to more than 10 million telephone lines, a number that is expected to grow to more than 15 million by the end of the year.

BellSouth's retail DSL product, BellSouth FastAccess Internet service delivers a download speed of up to 1.5 megabits-per-second (Mbps) and an upload speed from the user's computer to the Internet of up to 256 kilobits per second (Kbps). Using DSL allows customers to download large files up to 50 times faster than 28.8 Kbps dial-up modems. DSL technology works over a standard phone line, allowing customers to talk and surf on the same line at the same time.

About BellSouth Corporation

BellSouth Corporation is a Fortune 100 communications services company headquartered in Atlanta, GA, serving more than 44 million customers in the United States and 16 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.

In addition to historical information, this document contains forward-looking statements regarding events and financial trends. Factors that could affect future results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements include: (i) a change in economic conditions in domestic or international markets where we operate or have material investments which would affect demand for our services; (ii) the intensity of competitive activity and its resulting impact on pricing strategies and new product offerings; and (iii) higher than anticipated cash requirements for investments, new business initiatives and acquisitions. The forward-looking information in this document is given as of this date only, and BellSouth assumes no duty to update this information.