newswire.ca
Aliant Highlights June 22 - July 22
(TSE: AIT)
ATLANTIC CANADA, July 21 /CNW/ - Aliant Inc. today reported that from
June 22 to July 22, its holdings in emerging business announced new business
relationships, its telecommunications companies launched new communications
packages and all four of the telecommunications business units have now
reached new collective agreements with their unionized employees.
Aliant's Emerging Business Division
BT (British Telecom) and NBTel Global announced a move to share best
practice and knowledge in government online services and technology across the
Atlantic Ocean. The agreement enables BT to access NBTel Global's intellectual
property for government online applications, professional consulting and
business development services, as well as research and testing facilities
enabled by NBTel Global's state-of-the-art LivingLAB(TM) innovations
environment.
This collaboration will allow BT's Local & Regional Government business
unit to tap into NBTel Global's government online experience to help local
authorities in the UK move towards meeting Prime Minister Tony Blair's aim to
have over 25 per cent of government transactions with citizens electronically
performed by the year 2002.
Connectivity Contact Centre Solutions Inc., a provider of enterprise and
network computer telephony integration (CTI) software solutions, in
partnership with Watts Communications Inc., announced the implementation of
the Connectivity CTI suite of services in Watts' Summerside call centre. The
companies have expansion plans to deploy this award-winning, advanced CTI
solution in Watts' other centres throughout North America and Australia. Watts
is Connectivity's newest customer - joining Blue Cross of Atlantic Canada, Dun
& Bradstreet, Bell Sympatico, NBTel and MTT.
AMI Offshore of St. John's announced that it has acquired K&D Industries
of Halifax, allowing it to better serve the needs of a broader customer base,
particularly in the offshore oil and gas, telecommunications, and construction
industries.
InfoInterActive Inc. (MSE: IIA, of which Aliant is a minority investor)
announced that GTE.net has become the first national Internet Service Provider
to offer Internet Call Manager across the United States. GTE.net is the retail
Internet service provided by GTE Corporation and will be offering ICM to its
full base of over 850,000 subscribers.
Aliant's IT Division
In late June, MITI Information Technology Inc., was named to Profit
Magazine's top 100 fastest-growing businesses - the only New Brunswick company
to rank in the top 100. MITI's sales went from $3.6 million in 1993 to $83.6
million in 1998 and its staff complement grew from seven in 1993 to over 500
in 1999.
Aliant's Telecommunications Division
NBTel announced that visitors from two American multinational companies -
BellSouth and Willow CyberCenter Network - marked the 1000th visit to NBTel's
industry-recognized LivingLAB(TM) innovations environment.
The LivingLAB environment is spread across New Brunswick and linked
through Aliant to the other Atlantic Provinces. It combines the power of
customer trials and feedback with employee ingenuity and partner dedication.
The VideoActive Development Centre in Saint John, NB, is its cornerstone,
where all of these elements come together to test new products and services in
a true-to-life setting.
In July, TARA (the Telecom Applications Research Alliance) announced the
opening of the MTT Service Development Lab (SDL) as part of the TARA lab
infrastructure in Nova Scotia. MTT's SDL increases TARA's overall incremental
technology from vendors such as Newbridge and SUN while profiling high-speed
e-commerce solutions, computer telephony integration, multimedia services and
new Mpowered(TM) services.
Island Tel has launched Prince Edward Island's first electronic commerce
service which allows businesses to exchange documents over the Internet.
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) has special appeal for members of the food,
beverage and manufacturing industries who want a more cost-effective and
efficient way to trade business documents such as purchase orders, invoices
and advance shipping notices.
NewTel Communications and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers of
Canada, Local 410, as well as MTT's unionized workforce, members of the
Atlantic Communications and Technical Workers' Union (ACTWU), each reached
tentative agreements in this period. This brings to four the number of
collective agreements reached since Aliant was formed on June 1, 1999.
NewTel Communications completed the first phase of a four-phase $20
million digital telecommunications program in Labrador North. This initial $5
million investment connects the north coast of Labrador from Nain to Happy
Valley-Goose Bay through a state-of-the-art digital microwave transport
system. The program plans to deliver high-capacity telecommunications
facilities throughout Labrador in the coming years.
NBTel has taken an innovative approach to meeting customers' needs with
NBTel One, a unique bundled package that combines all components of home
communications. NBTel One lets customers tailor their own savings plan by
blending long-distance calling with Internet hours or call management features
and NBTel's Calling Cards and Call-Me(TM) service cards - all at competitive
prices.
With offices throughout Canada and the United States, Aliant delivers
expertise in the areas of local, long-distance, wireless, data, Internet,
information technology, managed network services, and mobile satellite
communications. Its customers include public and private enterprises,
governments, businesses and consumers. Aliant's structure includes four lines
of business:
Telecommunications: NBTel, MTT, Island Tel, NewTel Communications, NBTel
Mobility, MTT Mobility, Island Tel Mobility, NewTel Mobility, and
Tele-Direct Atlantic.
Information technology: xwave solutions, MITI Information Technology
Inc., Island Tel Advanced Solutions, and NBTel's IT division.
Mobile satellite services: Stratos Global Corporation
Emerging business: AMI Offshore, Salter New Media, Salter Street Films,
Brooklyn North, InfoInterActive, TecKnowledge Health Care, ConneCTIvity,
Sierra, iMagicTV, NBTel Global, Neuromedia, New North Media, VoxCom and
NewTech Instruments.
More information about Aliant may be found on our web site:
aliant.ca |
