AXXENT Names Clyde Heintzelman to Advisory Board.

Business Editors

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 15, 2000

AXXENT Inc. (TSE:AXI.b) a leading Canadian competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) providing data, voice, and Internet services to meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses, today announced the appointment of Clyde Heinzelman to AXXENT's newly established Advisory Board, which will serve as a resource for AXXENT's management on strategic and policy issues.

"We are extremely pleased to welcome an individual with Clyde's expertise and experience to our Advisory Board. Clyde is recognized as a telecommunications and Internet leader. Based on his more than 25 years in the industry, we look forward to his insight and guidance to the board as we continue the execution of our business plan", said Bob Latham , President and CEO of AXXENT.

Clyde has been Net2000's President since November 1999 and a director since March 1997. Net2000, a CLEC located in Herndon, Virginia, currently operates sales offices in nine regions in the NorthEast seaboard of the United States. In this capacity he has the day to day responsibility of building Net2000 to ensure success in the competitive marketplace. Net2000 offers businesses a bundled package of high-speed data services, Internet services, local telephone services and long distance telephone services.

Prior to joining Net2000, Clyde served as President and Chief Executive Officer of SAVVIS Communications Corporation, a national Tier I Internet service provider. Before SAVVIS, Clyde served as Chief Operating Officer and President of DIGEX, another Tier I national ISP. Under Clyde's management, DIGEX expanded its Internet access services into over 150 markets nationwide and increased revenues from $1.5 million to $52 million in just three years. Prior to DIGEX, Clyde served as General Manager of sales and marketing, for Bell Atlantic Directory Services, where he directed the marketing and sales programs for a division of the company with 2,300 employees and annual revenues of $1.2 billion. His experience with Bell Atlantic also included Vice President of sales and marketing of the C&P Telephone Companies, President and CEO of Bell Atlanticom, and General Manager of Bell Atlantic Federal Systems.

Clyde earned a BA in Marketing at the University of Delaware, and attended graduate school at Wharton, University of Pittsburgh, and University of Michigan. About AXXENT

AXXENT Inc., (formerly OCI Communications Inc.), through its operating subsidiary AXXENT Corp., is a leading Canadian competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) providing data, voice, and Internet services to meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses. AXXENT serves more than 28,000 businesses with approximately 115,000 access lines. Visit our Web site at www.axxent.ca.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially because of various risks. These risks include risks associated with the demand and competition for the services and products to be sold by AXXENT, the continued availability of adequate financing to support our activities, the timing of rollouts, the number of potential customers who could access such services, and our dependence on third parties for services such as providing co-location and transmission facilities, providing marketing and sales efforts, and supplying and installing equipment.