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To: zbyslaw owczarczyk who wrote (11892)	6/17/1999 9:05:00 AM
From: zbyslaw owczarczyk	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 18016

NN won!!!:MaxLink Becomes A Major New Canadian Telecommunications Player With Acquisition Of WIC's Wireless Operations Transaction Gives MaxLink Opportunity To Be First With National Coverage TORONTO, June 17 /CNW-PRN/ - The MaxLink Communications Group of Companies announced today that it has become Canada's first truly national wireless broadband communications company through its agreement to acquire 100% of WIC Connexus and Regional Vision Inc. In connection with the $50 million acquisition by MaxLink, Newbridge Networks Corporation has agreed to discontinue the lawsuit it filed against WIC Western International Communications Ltd. which owns 100% of WIC Connexus and 49% of Regional Vision. The acquisition increases MaxLink's 1000 megahertz Local Multipoint Communications System (LMCS) licences from its current 33 markets to 207 covering virtually every city across Canada. ''The significance and value of this acquisition extends far beyond the purchase price,'' said Joel Bell, President of the MaxLink Group. ''This transaction gives MaxLink access to every major market throughout Canada and makes MaxLink the first Canadian company with the opportunity to provide a full array of very high speed symmetrical two-way data, video, voice and multimedia services to virtually any customer. We can seize that opportunity now because we have the technology, operating experience and the financial strength to make the $1 billion investment required over the next four years.'' The combination of MaxLink's strong shareholders, vendor financing and a banking facility arranged with J.P. Morgan provides the financial resources for the first phase deployment in major markets. MaxLink will become the first to provide advanced services to underserved small and medium-sized organizations at a lower cost and with greater coverage than competing fibre networks, which are economically inaccessible for many buildings and locations. ''Today MaxLink is the only company with the ability to offer this advanced high-speed broadband capability that is beyond the economic reach of fibre,'' Mr. Bell said. ''As a truly national network, we will be able to serve essentially all of the telecommunications market in Canada at a time when customers are increasingly seeking a single solution to link all their offices, branches and supplier locations in a common network.'' MaxLink Chairman Seymour Epstein said: ''Through MaxLink, our customers will have affordable access to a full array of high-speed services including high-speed Internet access, large file transfers in any direction, simultaneous two-way large capacity services such as video phone, video messaging and conferencing, as well as collaborative working between separate locations -- or 'virtual meetings'. They can have virtual private networks providing all of the qualities of dedicated private links between multiple locations without the high cost of a private network.'' ''We will also provide services to allow our customers to participate in the dramatically expanding world of electronic commerce by offering website hosting, commercial electronic storefront facilities and electronic selling and customer services,'' Mr. Bell said. ''Of course we will also use our next generation advanced network to provide quality alternative services in the more traditional offerings of voice and fax.'' Achieving national scale and scope means MaxLink can achieve very competitive operating economies and can establish connections with similar providers in the United States and other countries to support global connectedness for Canadians. MaxLink has an LMCS network in place in Ottawa/Hull and has been working closely with Newbridge Networks to build out its advanced national network. It has been operating that network for technical and operational development and proving over the last 14 months. The company will start commercial operations in Ottawa next month and in Montreal and Calgary later this summer. As a result of this acquisition, MaxLink will accelerate its deployment into Toronto and Vancouver. ''These operations establish MaxLink as a world leader in the commercial deployment of multi-point wireless broadband services,'' Mr. Bell said. The MaxLink Communications Group of Companies was established in 1996 to provide advanced telecommunications services to Canadians using a new generation of technology. Maxlink is owned by a consortium whose members comprise Joel Bell, Stephen R. Bronfman through Claridge (SRB) Inc., Capital Communications CDPQ Inc., Seymour Epstein, James D. Meekison and Robert Bradshaw, Soci\006t\006 Gasbeau and US Wavelink Telecommunications Inc. SOURCE: MaxLink Communications Group of Companies Related News Categories: telecom