BellSouth Enters Last Stage of Long Distance Review In Georgia;
State PSC Plans to Test Part of BellSouth's Operating Systems Application Expected to Reach FCC by End of the Year

For Immediate Release:

May 18, 1999

ATLANTA -- BellSouth Corporation (BLS) said the Georgia Public Service Commission's plan to test part of the company's operation support systems should be the final major hurdle to clear before it files for permission to offer long distance service with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). BellSouth added that it expects to be able to send a long distance application to the FCC by the end of this year.

"We're near the end of a three-year process," said Phil Jacobs, BellSouth's State President for Georgia. "Since 1996, BellSouth has worked in earnest with the Georgia Commission as they have closely overseen and been intimately involved in the development of our Operational Support Systems (OSS)."

Today, the Georgia Commission agreed to focused testing by independent parties. The Commission said it will oversee and supervise testing of BellSouth's OSS by two outside, independent firms. The testing will focus on areas where BellSouth has not yet experienced significant commercial usage by competitors. The three areas of focus will be: (1) processing of orders for certain unbundled network elements; (2) testing of the overall capacity of the OSS to handle Competitive Local Exchange Companies' (CLEC) orders; and (3) an audit of the CLEC order flow-through calculation contained in BellSouth's performance measurement filings.

Operation support systems aid competitors in entering the local telephone market by providing non-discriminatory access to customer databases and the necessary signaling for routing and completing phone calls.

Today's decision by the Georgia Commission was in response to a filing made by a group of 12 CLECs on December 22, 1998. The CLECs requested third-party testing of BellSouth's OSS. BellSouth responded a month later by filing a motion to object to any third-party testing of its systems. BellSouth said it had provided sufficient data for a full assessment of its systems' capability. In today's decision, the Commission granted a portion of the CLECs' motion. The Commission decided to test part of BellSouth's OSS, but plans to limit the testing to the three areas discussed above.

"For more than a year, we have been giving the Georgia Commission detailed monthly reports on how we've enhanced our support systems and how we have implemented the Commission's specific directions and the recommendations of our competitors," Jacobs added. "We know our systems are in full compliance with the requirements of the Telecommunications Act. Soon after the tests are successfully completed, we will file at the FCC for permission to offer our customers long distance service. We anticipate having the full support of the Georgia Commission."

BellSouth is a $23 billion communications services company. It provides telecommunications, wireless communications, cable and digital TV, directory advertising and publishing, and Internet and data services to nearly 34 million customers in 19 countries worldwide.

For more information, contact:

Lynn Bress, 770 391-2484

NOTE: For more information about BellSouth, visit the BellSouth Web page at http://www.bellsouth.com/. Also, BellSouth news releases dating back one year are available by fax at no charge by calling 1-800-758-5804, ext. 095650 or write: for Atlanta releases 1155 Peachtree St., N.E.; Atlanta, Ga. 30309-3610 and for DC releases; 1133 21st St., N.W.; Suite 900; Washington, D.C. 2003.

A list of BellSouth Media Relations Contacts is available in the Corporate Information Center.

Click here to find the latest on BellSouth Application to FCC to Offer Long-Distance Service in Georgia and Louisiana.

NOTE: For more information about BellSouth, visit the BellSouth Web page at http://www.bellsouth.com/. Also, BellSouth news releases dating back one year are available by fax at no charge by calling 1-800-758-5804, ext. 095650 or write: for Atlanta releases 1155 Peachtree St., N.E.; Atlanta, Ga. 30309-3610 and for DC releases; 1133 21st St., N.W.; Suite 900; Washington, D.C. 20036.

A list of BellSouth Media Relations Contacts is available in the Corporate Information Center.

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