BellSouth FastAccess Internet Service Ranked #1 in 2002 J.D. Power and Associates Residential Internet Customer Satisfaction Study for High Speed Internet Service Providers

Business Wire, August 20, 2002

Business Editors

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 20, 2002

High Scores for Performance & Reliability and

Customer Service Were Key to Top Ranking;

Company's Dial-Up Service also Ranked in Top Five Providers

BellSouth (NYSE: BLS) today announced that it received the highest honors in customer satisfaction in the 2002 J.D. Power and Associates Residential Internet Customer Satisfaction Study for High Speed ISPs.

BellSouth's score of 111 tied with two other providers for the highest customer satisfaction index score in the study. The J.D. Power and Associates Study also surveyed dial-up customers and, in that portion of the study, BellSouth was tied for third with 102, just three points behind the study leader.

"Customer satisfaction is our number one priority, so we are thrilled to see that our focus and hard work have been successful," said Richard Burns, president of BellSouth broadband and Internet services. "At BellSouth, broadband is the ultimate team sport, in addition to a great frontline team, in the last year we've added an automated customer support site, a Spanish language home page and a plug and play home networking solution - all of which I am certain contributed to our exemplary rankings in the J.D. Power and Associates study."

Respondents participating in the J.D. Power and Associates study rated nine of the largest national and regional broadband Internet service providers on seven different factors that comprise the overall customer satisfaction index. BellSouth scored above average in five of those seven factors including: performance and reliability, customer service, image, billing and offerings and promotions. BellSouth shared the highest score on the most important factor driving satisfaction, performance and reliability, and received extremely high marks on the second most important element, customer service. The first place score of 11 received by BellSouth, Earthlink and Roadrunner was eleven points greater than the industry average score of 100.

BellSouth's high ranking by J.D. Power and Associates comes at a time when BellSouth has made a variety of efforts to constantly improve the customer experience. Some of these efforts include:

-- Self-Install - BellSouth(R) FastAccess(R) DSL customers enjoy a simple installation experience that does not require a technician visit. BellSouth has continued to simplify and streamline the self-install kit and, as a result, more than 95% of customers opt to use it.

-- BellSouth FastAcccess HomeNetworking Service - Earlier this year, BellSouth introduced a plug and play home networking solution that allows customers to network up to four computers on one DSL line without the need for additional wiring.

-- BellSouth Internet Services Home Page - Located at www.home.bellsouth.net, this page offers rich, timely content, streaming audio and video and an interface with Webmail and customer support from BellSouth. In addition, the site is now available in Spanish.

-- Automated Customer Support - In January of this year BellSouth launched an automated customer support site, www.support.fastaccess.com. In addition, a click to chat feature to connect with technical support is a popular method for customers to get quick answers to their questions.

In the portion of the study dedicated to dial-up providers, J.D. Power and Associates ranked twelve of the largest national and regional narrowband ISPs. BellSouth received a score of 102, which resulted in a third place tie, just three points behind the study leader and above the industry average.

To learn more or to qualify for BellSouth FastAccess Internet Service, customers can visit www.fastaccess.com/consumer or call BellSouth at 888-321-ADSL. To order or learn more about BellSouth dial-up Internet access, customers can call 1-800-4DOTNET or log on to www.bellsouth.net.

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 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 offers long distance service for both business and consumer customers in Georgia and Louisiana.

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.