-  10 Megabit Internet service for apartment building units
    -  Atlantic Canada's first Fibre-to-the-Home trial

    HALIFAX,Feb. 7 2005 --
Aliant, Atlantic Canada's largest information and
communications technology company, is launching two innovative, fibre optic-
based broadband services to consumers: 10 Megabit Internet service and
Atlantic Canada's first Fibre-to-the-Home trial.
    "At Aliant, we take pride in our track record of innovation and providing
customers with world-leading communications, information and entertainment
solutions," said Heather Tulk, Vice President Broadband and Marketing, Aliant.
"Our latest advancements in the use of fibre optic technology allow us to
deliver Atlantic Canada's fastest broadband connection and the region's first
Fibre-to-the-Home trial."
    Using fibre optic technology, Aliant can now deliver a 10 Megabit
Internet service - one of the fastest broadband connection speeds in Canada,
to apartment building residents. By July, approximately 30 apartment buildings
in the Halifax Regional Municipality will be equipped for fibre delivered
Internet. Aliant High Speed Ultra customers living in these buildings will
enjoy the 10 Megabit download speed, giving them an even better online
experience, whether they are playing online video games, downloading music,
surfing the Web, emailing, or sharing files and pictures with friends and
family.
    To further test the capabilities of fibre technology, Aliant is also
conducting Atlantic Canada's first Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) trial. Thirty-two
participants in the Royale Hemlocks community in Bedford, Nova Scotia will
take part in the 12-month trial.
    For the trial, Aliant is installing a fibre optic network that will
provide more than 30 Megabits of bandwidth to individual residences. Through a
combination of wired and wireless applications, trial participants will be
provided with the newest and fastest Aliant service offerings - via fibre
optic cable connected directly to their homes. Trial services will initially
include 10 Megabit Internet, TV on my PC, Music on my PC and Aliant Security
Services (anti-virus, parental control, and personal firewall).
    To receive fibre delivered Internet, apartment buildings will be wired
via a central switch that allows every data jack in the building to be pre-
wired for high-speed Internet while delivering dedicated bandwidth to each
individual unit. This network design removes the need for a modem, giving
tenants the convenience to move their computer around their apartment and to
log-on to the Internet in any room with a data jack using an Ethernet cord.
    As development on new Internet Protocol (IP) based applications such as
video and Voice over IP (VoIP) progress, Aliant will add these to its suite of
products and services available over fibre.
    "As we enhance our fibre network and deliver more IP-based applications,
they too will live up to the high levels of service excellence, value,
simplicity and reliability that our customers have come to expect," said Tulk.

    About Aliant
    From its home base in Atlantic Canada, Aliant delivers a wide variety of
innovative and traditional communications services, including local and long
distance telephony, wireless, Internet, e-commerce, interactive multimedia,
data and managed network services, to more than two million consumers and over
80,000 enterprises. Aliant complements its industry-leading telecommunications
business with strengths in information technology solutions and knowledge-
services applications. The company's approximately 8,400 employees build on
Aliant's 100-plus year history by collaborating to deliver the highest quality
of customer service, choice and convenience. Aliant is a TSX 100 company with
a market capitalization of approximately $3.8 billion.



For further information: Kelly Gallant, Aliant Communications & Public
Affairs, 1-866-762-6540, kelly.gallant@aliant.ca;
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