ST. JOHN, NB, May 4 /CNW/ - Aliant Inc. today named its young company
within its emerging business division. Innovatia Inc. focuses on the
development and sale of Internet-based applications for marketing and delivery
through Aliant's operating companies, and abroad through other service
providers. With 200 highly skilled professionals located throughout Atlantic
Canada and working through operations worldwide, Innovatia concentrates on
growth through ingenuity - and delivering innovations from concept to
creation.
    The company was created in February and began operations with the working
name Aliant Net Solutions. Already, Innovatia is working with a variety of
North American and international customers, forecasting first year revenues of
$30 million.
    "The potential for growth through the Internet is enormous and increasing
each day. Consumers and service providers alike are looking for unique
innovations to fully capitalize on the flexibility, convenience and choice the
Internet provides," said Robert Neal, president of Innovatia. "We will meet
their needs through our ground-breaking solutions like Internet-based
television for the TV and PC that we've developed in conjunction with
iMagicTV, and advanced Web-based learning tools, e-business applications, and
secure electronic services."
    Innovatia is also Aliant's research and development arm, fostering growth
opportunities through Aliant's LivingLAB(TM) innovations environment - an
incubator for electronic living and electronic business initiatives. "The
LivingLAB environment is the engine that will continuously fuel our ideas. It
enables us to take new products and services from concept to market quickly,
while providing continual learning, opportunity and innovation. We work hand-
in-hand with customers, employees, and partners to determine what their real-
life needs are and how they can best be met through technology. This unique
approach generates real market learning in the emerging networked multimedia
industry using the full gamut of appliances: touch-tone phones, screen phones,
computers and televisions," explained Mr. Neal.
    Innovatia was formed from the amalgamation of the Aliant companies and
divisions formerly known as New North Media, NBTel Global, MTT's Mpowered
Export and other new business opportunity teams across Aliant. "We know that a
large part of our future is an Internet future. We believe that by capturing
all emerging Internet businesses under one company, we'll create a critical
mass of knowledge and skills," said Mr. Neal. "We're moving aggressively into
new markets and we're confident Innovatia will give us a competitive edge and
position us for the future growth opportunities that await."
    Through its focus on Internet-based technology, Innovatia is
complementary to Aliant's telecommunications and IT lines of business, its
remote communications investment in Stratos Global, and Prexar, Aliant's US
Internet company. Further, Innovatia holds minority investments in new
innovative companies like iMagicTV, eResolution, InfoInterActive and Voice
Mobility International. By collaborating closely with such industry leaders as
Nortel, Newbridge, Pixstream, U S WEST and British Telecom, Innovatia will be
a pacesetter, working to define the future of advanced entertainment and
information solutions.
    Headquartered in Atlantic Canada, Innovatia is a wholly owned subsidiary
of Aliant Inc. (TSE:AIT), a group of advanced technology companies with a
staff of 9,000 that delivers full service integrated solutions through its
four core lines of business: wireline and wireless telecommunications,
information technology, mobile satellite services and emerging business
solutions. From its base in Atlantic Canada, Aliant serves consumer and
business customers worldwide.
    For more information about Innovatia, visit www.innovatia.net and for
more details about Aliant, visit www.aliant.ca.



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For further information: Aliant Inc., Robyn Tingley, Manager, Corporate 
Public Affairs, 1 800 267-2057, (506) 694-6445, (506) 333-3097, 
robyn.tingley@aliant.ca