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Thursday March 18, 9:02 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: @Home Network
@Home Network and Videon CableSystems, Inc.
Announce Agreement for Delivering High-Speed
Cable Internet Services in Canada
Four of the Top Five Canadian Cable Operators Now Affiliated With @HomeNetwork
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Expanding its presence in Canada, @Home Network (Nasdaq:
ATHM - news), the leading provider of high-speed Internet services via cable infrastructure, and Videon CableSystems, Inc.,
Canada's fifth largest cable operator, today announced an agreement to deliver high-speed cable Internet services in key
Canadian markets, including Edmonton and Winnipeg. @Home Network will have access to more than 500,000 homes
passed for high-speed cable Internet services. The service will be named Videon@Home and is planned to begin deployment
in 1999.
''Videon@Home will bring speed, convenience, and exciting local and national content to our cable customers,'' said Vaughn
Tozer, Videon's President of Canadian Cable Operations. ''Cable Internet services allow users to be more productive with
their online time. @Home's integrated service approach, combined with our local broadband network will deliver rich Internet
experiences to all members of the family, whether its keeping in touch with friends and family across Canada or the world,
getting help with homework, keeping up with the latest news, weather and sports, finding recipes or purchasing gifts online.''
@Home Network, Rogers CableSystems and Shaw Communications created a joint venture called @Home Canada in 1997
to distribute the @Home service to cable companies in Canada. Cogeco Cable Inc., Canada's fourth largest cable company,
joined the consortium in 1998 and became an equity partner. Rogers, Shaw and Cogeco's cable systems together represent
nearly 6 million households passed by cable.
Recognizing Canada's distinct marketplace, @Home Canada will customize the Videon@Home user experience to reflect and
promote Canada's unique and cultural and geographic characteristics. In addition to developing new content for the service,
@Home Canada has formed partnerships with several key Canadian multimedia providers to offer third party content along
with existing @Home content.
''Cable is clearly the vehicle of choice for delivering a full range of interactive services to the home,'' said Dean A. Gilbert
senior vice president and general manager, @Home Network. ''Through the power of cable, Videon@Home will help
transform the Internet into a viable mass medium that will be as readily available and indispensable to the home as the telephone
and television.''
Videon is rebuilding its cable television systems to state-of-art hybrid-fiber coaxial architecture that will support @Home
Networks national broadband backbone. Videon will utilize @Home's distributed network infrastructure and unique
broadband national content. The alliance will position Videon customers at the forefront of a new generation of high-speed
communications.
Existing Internet customers now served by Videon's WAVE service in Manitoba and its Power Surfer service in Alberta are
scheduled to begin conversion to the @Home service before the end of the third quarter of 1999.
@Home Network is more than a simple connection to the Internet. @Home has developed a distributed, intelligent network
that utilizes sophisticated caching and replication technologies to create a high-performance ''parallel'' Internet. With this
network, @Home will be able to cost-effectively scale its network capacity to support ubiquitous broadband services in both
metropolitan and rural markets throughout North America.
Videon CableSystems, Inc.
Videon CableSystems Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Moffat Communications Limited. Moffat Communications Limited
has substantial interests in cable television systems in Canada and the United States, namely, Videon CableSystems Inc. which
owns and operates cable television systems in Winnipeg, and 22 regional communities in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario;
Videon CableSystems Alberta Inc., which owns and operates systems in Edmonton and 24 regional communities in Alberta;
Kingwood Cablevision, Inc. near Houston, Texas; Palm Coast Cablevision, Ltd. in Palm Coast, Florida, and FSN Cable, Inc.
near Tampa, Florida. The Company also owns 69.7% of WTN a nationally distributed specialty television network and
CKY-TV, the CTV Television Network affiliate in Manitoba.
About @Home Network
Based in Redwood City, California, @Home Network distributes high-speed, openly accessible Internet and Web services to
residences and businesses using its own network architecture and a variety of transport options including the cable industry's
hybrid-fiber coaxial infrastructure. The cable connection provides users significant increases in speed over conventional Internet
services. Leveraging the ''always on'' attributes of cable, @Home allows for unique multimedia applications that go beyond
current Web experiences. Individuals seeking additional information about availability and subscription can refer to the @Home
Network Web site (www.home.net). Since its founding in 1995, @Home Network bas reached affiliate agreements with
nineteen leading cable companies-worldwide, including AT&T Broadband and Internet services, Bresnan Communications
Company, Cablevision Systems Corp., CasTel, Century Communications, Charter Communications, Cogeco Cable Inc.,
Comcast Corporation, Cox Communications, Garden State Cable, Insight Communications, InterMedia Partners, Jones
Intercable, Lenfest Communications, Midcontinent Cable Co., Palet Kabelcom, Rogers Cablesystems Limited, Shaw
Communications and Videon CableSystems, Inc.
NOTE: The @ logo, @Home and @Home Network are trademarks of At Home Corporation and may be registered in
certain jurisdictions. All other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 27A of the securities Exchange Act of
1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and is subject to the safe harbors created by those sections.
These forward-looking statements include statements related to: Videon Cablesystems' ability to successfully upgrade its cable
plant; @Home Network's and Videon CableSystems ability to deploy the Videon @Home service on schedule in the relevant
markets; the extent to which the service will become indispensable to customers and provide them with a new generation of
high speed communications; and @Home Network's ability to scale its network to support ubiquitous broadband deployments
throughout North America. Actual results may differ materially due to a number of risks. In particular, the successful and timely
introduction of the service, its value to customers, and scaling of the @Home network is subject to: numerous technological,
operational and financial challenges; potential competition from other broadband Internet providers; and the degree of customer
acceptance of the service in the relevant markets. The matters discussed in this press release also involve risks and uncertainties
described from time to time in @Home Network's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, see the
risk factors described in @Home Network's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1998. @Home Network assumes
no obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.
SOURCE: @Home Network
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