SAINT JOHN, NB,Nov. 29 2001 --Aliant Telecom announced today a
breakthrough in technology convergence with the development of software that
enables the delivery of high-quality television to personal computers.
    The subscription-based application will operate on the highly advanced
Aliant Telecom broadband network. Subscribers will be able to surf the
Internet while watching television, allowing them to interact real-time with
content located on the Internet.
    "In its simplest terms it offers an enhanced online experience by
providing high-quality television viewing directly to the PC. It is a truly
convergent solution that takes the PC to the next level of interactivity" says
Chris Keevill, President, Aliant Telecom Broadband Services. "Giving customers
the choice of a new viewing experience for the programs they love to watch."
    Using the benefits of new MPEG 4 video technology, Aliant Telecom will be
delivering high-quality television to the computer using 500Kbps of network
bandwidth, which is well within the capacity of Aliant Telecom's Broadband
network. Best of all this service requires no additional tuner cards or
expensive software, rather it plays on an average Pentium II computer running
Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher as a web browser, with 64 Mbytes of RAM.
    "This technology is not intended to replace the television. It is an
enhancement of the consumer's broadband experience giving them more from their
existing Aliant High-Speed Internet connection," explains Keevill. "In keeping
with Aliant Telecom's commitment to enable Atlantic Canadians with leading-
edge technology that is easy to use, and simple to understand, the service
being developed is a very intuitive web-based application allowing customers
to access television, change channels and adjust volume."
    Aliant Telecom anticipates bringing this technology to market in Atlantic
Canada before the end of 2001. The initial offering will feature a variety of
the most popular Canadian and American channels. Bell Globemedia Networks'
TSN, ATV, and CTV Newsnet will be included in the line-up as well as CBC; CBS;
MuchMusic; CBC Newsworld; ABC; NBC; and SRC, with plans to expand this
offering in the future.
    Aliant Telecom is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aliant Inc. Aliant Inc.
(TSE:AIT) is one of Canada's top high-tech companies, providing integrated
communications and IT solutions through subsidiaries operating worldwide. By
combining industry-leading expertise from across the group of companies,
Aliant utilizes the Aliant Premium(TM) Model to deliver unique, end-to-end
solutions to customers. With 10,000 employees and a market capitalization of
almost $5 billion, Aliant ranks in the top 100 publicly traded companies in
the country. More information on Aliant may be found on our Website at
www.aliant.ca.




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For further information: Heather Hampson, Public Affairs Manager, Aliant
Telecom, 1-800-834-0891, heather.hampson@aliant.ca