Aliant High-Speed Wireless now available across Atlantic Canada

Launches in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador

Aliant investing $20 million in EV-DO network to deliver the first - and fastest - wireless service in Atlantic Canada

May 30, 2006 -- Atlantic Canada - Aliant, Atlantic Canada's leading information and communications technology provider, today launched Aliant High-Speed Wireless service in Saint John, Moncton and Fredericton, NB; Charlottetown, PEI, and St. John's, NL. The new service will provide Aliant customers access to unprecedented wireless data speeds - up to 2.4 Mbps - and new and enhanced applications on their wireless devices.Aliant High-Speed Wireless - launched in Halifax, NS, in February - will change the way Atlantic Canadian customers communicate. Customers will be able to experience unprecedented wireless data speeds - five times faster than what is currently available. Customers will be able to access information on their wireless device - notebook computer, PDA, or cell phone - at speeds close to those of their home broadband connection. Faster speeds will allow business and residential customers to experience new and enhanced applications on wireless devices such as streaming video and TV clips; video messaging; web browsing; interactive gaming and remote access to office email and data. Other Aliant High-Speed Wireless applications, such as Live TV, will be available later this year.

"Aliant High-Speed Wireless will provide the foundation for enhancing the customer experience - providing faster speeds and more choice of wireless applications than ever before," says Paul Pothier, Director, Wireless Business Marketing, Aliant. "This service enhancement is part of our commitment to providing customers with the most advanced capabilities today."

Aliant is investing $20 million in Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO) digital wireless network technology - provided by Nortel* - which will enable customers to access the fastest and most advanced wireless network available in Atlantic Canada. The service will be available in other urban centres throughout the region later this year, and by the end of 2007, will be available to approximately 60 per cent of customers in Atlantic Canada.

"I'm really impressed with the fast speeds and the instant access to my work email and company files," says Rick Varner, President, Offshore-Telecom, and Aliant High-Speed Wireless customer. "The service definitely exceeds my expectations and allows me to do much more in my day."

Aliant High-Speed Wireless is available today using three wireless devices: a PC card, a cell phone and a PDA:

* Kyocera Passport - an EV-DO personal computer (PC) card which provides customers with high speed wireless connectivity for their notebook computer; providing up to 2.4 Mbps and enabling fast file downloads, streaming video and web browsing.
* Samsung a920 - The Samsung a920 has a built-in MP3 player and stereo speakers with external MP3 player keys on its cover. It enables full track music downloads using an embedded application from Aliant as well as video streaming capabilities.
* Blackberry 7130e - The Blackberry 7130e includes phone, wireless push email, Internet, text messaging, organizer and data applications using Aliant's High-Speed Wireless service. The 7130e also allows customers to connect laptops to the Internet by using the device as a tethered modem.

Two other devices - the BlackBerry 7250e and the UTStarcom PPC6700 - will be available in June. The Blackberry 7250e offers similar functions as the 7130e including phone, wireless push email, Internet, text messaging, and, can also be used as a tethered modem. The UTStarcom PPC6700 is a fully functional wireless device, with camera, colour screen, calendar and email capabilities. The PPC6700 uses the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system.

Aliant continues to invest in its digital wireless network and, with the addition of EV-DO network technology, is continuing the tradition of providing customers with the most extensive, reliable digital network in Atlantic Canada. To date, Aliant has invested approximately $348 million to expand and enhance their digital wireless network, and related services, and today provides approximately 90 per cent of the population of Atlantic Canada with wireless coverage.

Nortel is providing equipment and services including EV-DO radio base stations, radio network controllers (RNC) and a variety of professional services to Aliant. The technology will be incorporated seamlessly onto Aliant's existing digital wireless data network.

"Aliant's EV-DO upgrade will effectively transform its wireless network to deliver true mobile broadband services to Atlantic Canadians," said Ken McIver, Major Account Vice President, Nortel. "As a supplier to more than half of the world's commercially-launched EV-DO networks, Nortel has seen the potential this technology has for improving and changing the way people communicate."

Nortel supplies EV-DO equipment to 20 of the 32 operators across the globe currently offering commercial EV-DO service. Nortel CDMA equipment is designed to support EV-DO through simple upgrades to existing hardware. Nortel has designed, installed and launched more than 300 wireless networks in over 70 countries. Nortel was the industry's first supplier with wireless networks operating in all advanced radio technologies and is the only end-to-end provider of all next generation wireless solutions.

About Aliant
Aliant serves customers across Atlantic Canada with innovative and traditional communications services, including local and long distance telephony, wireless, Internet, e-commerce, interactive multimedia, data and managed network services. In addition to serving residential, small-to-medium sized business and enterprise customers in its home market, Aliant also serves business customers located in other parts of North America. Aliant complements its industry-leading telecommunications business with strengths in information technology solutions and knowledge-services applications. Aliant's approximately 8,400 employees build on its 100-plus year history by collaborating to deliver the highest quality of customer service, choice and convenience. Aliant has a market capitalization of approximately $4.5 billion.

On March 7, 2006 Aliant and BCE Inc. announced the creation of a new income trust. The companies will combine Aliant's wireline telecommunications operations in Atlantic Canada, information technology operations and other operations with Bell Canada's wireline telecommunications operations in its regional territories in Ontario and Quebec, and Bell Canada's 63.4 per cent interest in the Bell Nordiq Income Fund to form the Bell Aliant Regional Communications Income Fund. The new trust, which will have 3.4 million local access lines and over 400,000 high-speed Internet subscribers in six provinces, will be headquartered in Atlantic Canada with regional offices in Ontario and Québec. The transaction, which has received shareholder approval, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2006, subject to court and regulatory approvals and certain other closing conditions.

*Nortel is a trademark of Nortel Networks.

Source: Aliant