Netlink/Bell Atlantic will offer multi-tenant telecom services.

To meet the increasing home office industry and consumer demand for high speed Internet access, Bell Atlantic has selected Netlink Corp., a leading New York Internet Service Provider (ISP), as an agent to market a full complement of telecommunications services to apartments and co-ops throughout Greater New York.

As a result, Manhattan residents will now be able to tap into a bundle of the most sophisticated telecommunications services, including high-speed Internet access, at sharply reduced costs, according to Peter Fisher, president of Netlink anda member of the Real Estate Board of New York.

Netlink will market the bundled services to building owners and managers who want to offer occupants turnkey and hassle-free telecommunications access at reduced prices.

"We are now entering a new frontier, where waiting for access to the Web will be rare, and dialing will be unnecessary," said Fisher. "Consumers today want a faster and easier way to log on to the Internet for such daily tasks as electronic shopping and banking, while professionals who work at home need access to the Internet that's as fast as if they were working at an office."

"The long-awaited high-speed Internet is finally coming to the home, with research firms predicting that nationwide 10 to 16 million households will be online by 2002," said Fisher.

"Consumers in New York represent a huge and hungry market for advanced telecommunications services," said Greg Mooney, director of multiple dwelling unit marketing for Bell Atlantic. "Bundling services and making them available in whole buildings at a time is an effective way to quickly and effectively address the market's need for these services."

"Joining with Netlink to get packaged services - including future Bell Atlantic services like long distance and Digital Subscriber Line - delivered to customers gives Bell Atlantic another opportunity to maintain and grow market share in a fiercely competitive market," said Mooney.

Netlink is offering a package that will include local telephone service from Bell Atlantic, long distance service and highspeed Internet access using a shared high speed T-l digital circuit in cases where the buildings are not suitable for Bell Atlantic's Infospeed DSL Digital Subscriber Line service. Where Bell Atlantic's Infospeed DSL service can be provided, it will be part of the Netlink package.

"All of these services will be on one bill to the subscriber. It will be less expensive than getting all of these services piecemeal," Fisher said.

Netlink is signing agreements with building owners and managing agencies that will permit the company to market its services to individual tenants. Netlink will handle all equipment ordering, on-site installation and testing. Once the installation is completed, the firm will monitor the customer's service around-the-clock and provide additional services such as web sites, domain name service, e-mail, Virtual Private Network Systems and long distance service.

"We will install the necessary hardware to provide Internet access at speeds of 1.544 Mbps (T-l)," Fisher said. "In Manhattan, there are hundreds of apartment buildings and over 1,200 co-ops that we believe are perfect candidates for this bundle of services. This will give owners an edge when they are selling or renting to prospects."

The agreement signals Netlink's expansion into the residential market. The company is also actively involved in New York's commercial sector, providing Internet service for many clients in a wide array of industries, and institutions that include charitable organizations, embassies, accounting firms, banks, law firms, employment agencies, trade unions, computer companies, health care providers, management consulting firms and schools.

Netlink has placed its high-speed Internet service at numerous office buildings throughout Manhattan, including 99 Park Avenue, 410 Park Avenue, 211 East 43rd Street, 401 Fifth Avenue, 1560 Broadway, The Promenade, 5 East 59th Street, 1140 Sixth Avenue, 5 Hanover Square, 211 East 43rd Street, 1050 Second Avenue, 54 Greene Street and others.