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Gold/Mining/Energy : BCE Emergis - global e-commerce -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jean-Robert Grenier who wrote (140)	7/8/1998 10:42:00 PM
From: sPD	Respond to of 1341

We should be hearing about Q3 (ended May 31) some time within the next two weeks - that might be it but I'm just guessing. On the other hand, I would think that the current price should be geared more to the Bell Emergis situation than current earnings, unless the earninngs are truly surprising on the upside. While I'm taking wild guesses, other possibilities might include this week's announcements by Royal Bank on developments with the Mondex pilots or alternatively, the insane levels achieved recently by internet stocks. Not that MPACT is a pure internet stock but e-commerce may be close enough! - since IFM is profitable now, it has to look pretty cheap next to stocks that are still far into the red and fetching $100 US per share. And last but not least, COMDEX is on in Toronto so perhaps IFM is attracting attention there.

To: Jean-Robert Grenier who wrote (140)	7/8/1998 11:06:00 PM
From: sPD	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1341

MONDEX-ENABLED PC'S TO PURCHASE ON-LINE IN ROYAL BANK AND NBTEL PROJECT Jean-Robert, we're still some years away from profiting from Mondex but significant progress is being made, as per the following. As you may know, MPACT is the payments end partner on the Mondex project. Incidentally, TouchNet Canada makes the PC reader hardware so is not a competitor for MPACT. * - * - * - * - * - * TORONTO, July 7 /CNW/ - Royal Bank and NBTel are launching a pilot project that will allow subscribers of NBTel's Vibe(TM) service, who are Royal Bank Mondex clients, to purchase goods and services on the Vibe Intranet with their Mondex smart cards. The pilot will start in the Fall. Mondex smart cards provide an electronic cash alternative to credit card purchases over the Internet. Royal Bank will provide clients with a Mondex card, a smart card reader and floppy disks containing Mondex software which will make their PC's Mondex-ready. From there, Mondex customers simply have to insert their Mondex cards into the smartcard reader and proceed with a purchase or transaction. Mondex customers participating in the pilot project will also be able to load electronic cash onto their cards or make deposits to their bank accounts via their PC's. ''This on-line project will provide a useful model for developing a system that will eventually allow Royal Bank smart card customers to purchase goods and services on the World Wide Web,'' said Royal Bank vice-president Al McGale. ''As early as six months ago this type of e-commerce application was only speculation. We have the future with us today.'' ''Customers want the convenience of a variety of payment systems,'' said Bill Steeves, chief financial officer and vice-president of corporate services at NBTel. ''We believe electronic cash payment is an appealing and practical alternative to using credit cards for on-line transactions.'' According to Steeves, this initiative will give Vibe customers and merchants a unique opportunity to experience a payment mechanism that will have a major impact on the future of electronic commerce. The on-line pilot project meets the standards of Open Trading Protocol. These are standards set by a consortium of over 30 companies to provide universal standards for trade on the Internet. ''Imagine being able to shop on-line, purchase the product or service on-line and then have the item delivered to your door,'' added McGale. ''This is the next step in making on-line shopping more than a great idea.'' TouchNet Canada also worked with Royal Bank on this project by helping to develop the system solution. Royal Bank is Canada's premier global financial services group with leading market shares in personal and business banking, corporate and investment banking, and wealth management. As one of North America's largest financial institutions, Royal Bank and its key subsidiaries Royal Trust, RBC Dominion Securities, RBC Insurance, and Royal Bank Action Direct have 50,846 employees (on a full-time equivalent basis) who serve 10 million clients through more than 1,500 branches and offices in 36 countries. NBTel is an acknowledged world leader in telecommunications. It invests in people and technology. NBTel's expertise is in developing and delivering local and long-distance telephone services, wireless services, Internet and advanced network services, and interactive multimedia applications that provide a competitive advantage to business customers and enable consumers to do everyday things better. Vibe is NBTel's high-speed Internet and multimedia service that runs over the company's VideoActive(TM) broadband network. TouchNet Canada is an industry leader in automation and self-service technologies, specializing in real-time transaction systems and solutions. The company develops and integrates TouchLink Payment systems, which link merchants and consumers directly to the Royal Bank for the secure processing of Debit, Credit and Smart Card transactions. TouchNet Canada has been firmly established in Quebec and Eastern Canada since 1989, and has developed many innovative applications for Royal Bank merchants and suppliers. For further information: Al McGale, Vice-President, Royal Bank, (416) 348-5607; Steve Dyck, Media Relations, Royal Bank, (416) 974-6970; Bridget Oland, Media Relations, NBTel, (506) 694-2815