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Friday, October 25, 2002
Aliant Telecom Delivers “Harbour to Harbour” Network Expansion based on Nortel Networks Optical Technologies

St. John’s, NF -- Aliant Telecom has invested (Cdn.)$25 million to deliver a new state-of-the- art transport network from St. John’s, Newfoundland through Nova Scotia and terminating in Saint John, New Brunswick. Utilizing optical technology from Nortel Networks*, the network will enhance the reliability and availability of telecommunications and information technology for customers throughout the Atlantic region.

The project, “Harbour to Harbour,” enhances Aliant Telecom’s advanced backbone fiber network with Nortel’s high capacity optical technology. This Aliant network will link with Bell Canada’s network to establish the only 10Gbit/sec cross-Canada network.

Curtis Howe, Chief Technology Officer at Aliant Telecom comments, “We are excited about what this means for our customers and our company. The new transport network will meet the ever-increasing demands of our customers for higher bandwidth across Atlantic Canada and from here to the rest of the world. The technology provided by Nortel Networks will enable growth in many services and will position Aliant Telecom for future success in the industry.”

“Nortel Networks is pleased to provide our leading optical solutions to Aliant Telecom’s optical backbone network, aiding them in evolving their network to provide cost-effective provisioning of new, competitive services,” said Brian McFadden, president, Optical Networks, Nortel Networks. “Nortel Networks is committed to reducing our customers’ capital and operational expenditures while decreasing their time-to-revenue through highly reliable and flexible optical technologies.”

Nortel Networks OPTera* Long Haul 1600 Optical Line System and OPTera Connect DX optical switch technology will position Aliant Telecom to efficiently manage network capacity, provide flexible services, improve connection and network management capabilities, and significantly enhance network reliability. OPTera Connect DX is the most widely-deployed 10 Gbps optical switch in the world with over 6,000 deployments and 100 customers.

Aliant Telecom has completed the six-month construction phase of the project and has moved into implementation. Aliant technicians continue to put the new system through an elaborate series of tests and some customers will begin to be moved to the new network once that process is complete.

Aliant Telecom is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aliant Inc. Aliant is a recognized leader in communications and information technology. From its headquarters in eastern Canada, Aliant develops pacesetting telecommunications technologies and commercializes them for customers, and for export through partners worldwide. Aliant complements its industry-leading telecommunications business with strengths in developing information technology and knowledge services applications. The company's 10,200 employees collaborate to deliver the highest quality of customer service, while consistently demonstrating innovative capabilities that drive growth in existing and new markets. Aliant is a TSX 100 company with a market capitalization of approximately $4 billion. More information on Aliant may be found on our Web site at www.aliant.ca.

*Nortel Networks and OPTera are trademarks of Nortel Networks

For more information please contact:

Anna Peddle
Communications Manager
Aliant Telecom
Tel:709-739-2377
Cell:709-685-1973
Email: anna.peddle@aliant.ca

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