Southwestern Bell Links Cellular and Home/Business Voice Mailboxes

Universal CallNotes' one number, unified prompts save time, money ... and memory

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, February 24, 1997

Cellular phone ... home phone ... business phone ... pager ... facsimile ... e-mail. Fast-paced people on the go can quickly slow to a crawl when it comes time to reel in their messages. Southwestern Bell is putting convenience into today's communications by reducing the number of numbers to remember and offering one-stop shopping for both cellular and home or business phone voice-message "mailbox" needs.

Known as Universal CallNotes, the new service from Southwestern Bell Messaging Services simplifies communications by giving residential and business customers one mailbox for their cellular and home or business phones and unifying procedures for accessing and using messages.

"Many people today have multiple communications devices, mailboxes and messaging addresses. They want and need new features and functionality, but they also want integration and simplicity in the products they use," said Chris Penrose, corporate manager, product development for Southwestern Bell. "Universal CallNotes is all about simple, easy communications and a common look and feel to the products they use on the road and at home or the office."

The standard package service for residential customers includes Local Messaging (the ability to reply, forward and broadcast messages), two extension mailboxes that allow customers to segment messages by user, and call forwarding.

Other standard features of the service for residential customers include 30 messages, a one minute greeting, two minute message length and 15 day message retention. For just $2 more, customers can get pager notification, two added extension mailboxes and message reminders.

The standard business package includes more message capacity and added extension mailboxes, as well as the ability to double message numbers from 50 to 100, extend greeting length up to one and a half minutes and message length up to three minutes, and double retention time from 15 to 30 days for just $10 a month more.

Whether residential or business, up to 10 different numbers can be forwarded to a single mailbox. Retrieving messages is made easier with standard prompts. Notification of messages waiting will be sent to both cellular handsets and home or business phones, ensuring customers are always in touch with their messages.

Oklahoma City is the first of the Southwestern Bell markets where the company is offering Universal CallNotes. It will be available as a special offer through March 31 with free installation and a cost for the first 30 days of just $1 for residential customers and $4 for business customers.

"Busy people -- mobile professionals such as realtors or sales people as well as active homemakers and couples on the go -- want to knock down the walls between their communications products and go to one place for all messages. That's Universal CallNotes," Penrose said. "Both Local Messaging and Universal CallNotes are just the beginning of the many enhanced messaging services Southwestern Bell will offer in coming months."

Southwestern Bell Messaging Services, a subsidiary of SBC Communications Inc., provides a comprehensive "one-stop" solution to voice messaging needs of its wireless and landline customers. SBC Communications Inc., is one of the world's leading diversified telecommunications companies, with tens of millions of customers in 13 U.S. states and eight countries.

Through its subsidiaries, it provides innovative communications services under the Southwestern Bell and Cellular One brands, including local and long-distance telephone, wireless, paging, Internet access, cable TV and messaging services, as well as telecommunications equipment and directory advertising and publishing. SBC (www.sbc.com) reported 1996 revenues of $13.9 billion.