Leading Telco Pledges to Connect Ottawa

Canada’s National Capital Region is set to become a showcase for cutting-edge interactive services and high-speed telecommunications access through an initiative launched by a group of BCE companies.

President and CEO Jean Monty made the announcement at the BCE annual
meeting, saying the new services will be delivered in late 1998 and early
1999 through the combined resources of Bell Canada’s Emergis division, Nortel, and other partners.

Four broad categories of services will be provided: Bell Connections,
including next-generation telephony services such as online call management,
universal messaging, and Internet voice/fax; PC/TV Sympatico access;
exploration of an entertainment and education package; and home management
features including security and online lighting/appliance control.

Central to the initiative is a $75 million investment to create packages of
interactive information, communication, and entertainment services for the
home. Key to the technology component will be Nortel’s megabit modem, a
plug-and-play digital modem technology offering users download speeds 17
times faster than current analog modems.

Feedback from the roll out of the service in the National Capital Region will
be applied to the delivery of similar services in other Bell Canada serving
areas.

BCE is Canada’s largest telecommunications company. The BCE group includes:
Bell Canada, Nortel (Northern Telecom), Bell Canada International, BCE
Mobile, and Tele-Direct.