BT Visual Images Unveils new corporate identity; "Canvas Visual Communications" reflects mission.

ANAHEIM, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 29, 1996--CANVAS VISUAL COM. (ME,TSE CAN.) North America's fastest-growing provider of visual communications systems has changed its name to Canvas Visual Communications.

Formerly known as BT Visual Images in the United States and CBCI Telecom in Canada, Canvas Visual Communications manufactures, markets and services a comprehensive portfolio of general purpose and application-specific visual communications systems.

Steven Edwards, president of Canvas Visual Communications, made the announcement at a press conference at TeleCon XVI, the world's largest conference on videoconferencing and distance learning.

"The Canvas Visual Communications name reflects our sole corporate mission of providing visual communications solutions focused on the specific application needs of our customers," Edwards said. "We provide a combination of powerful, applications-based visualconferencing technology and unequaled customer service that has propelled our growth.

"The theme behind the name `Canvas' was designed to reflect `the Art of Applications'," explained Edwards, adding, "This theme will drive the company's positioning as `the visualconferencing applications company.' In much the same way an artist begins with a blank canvas and then creates a work of art, we create applications best suited for a particular vertical market."

Canvas Visual Communications used TeleCon XVI as a launch pad for its name change and its accelerated expansion in the United States. It hosted a number of events and activities throughout the conference in close partnerships with major exhibitors such as IBM, Madge Networks, MCI, Nortel, Optel Communications, RAD Vision and VideoServer Inc.

On the exhibition's opening day, Canvas Visual Communications hosted a private reception to provide its partners and key industry figures with a preview of the company's announcements.

"Canvas Visual has forged a number of important alliances with strategic partners such as Nortel and MCI to develop and distribute the industry's leading-edge visualconferencing products," said Marian Levy, vice president marketing. "Canvas Visual's debut at TeleCon XVI is a celebration of these important partnerships as much as it's a coming-out party."

Presenting one distinct identity to the U.S. and Canada, as well as the rest of the world, will simplify the company's worldwide marketing efforts. Canvas Visual Communications, which ranks among North America's five largest video communications providers, has 18 sales offices across the U.S. and Canada.

Throughout the conference, there was constant activity at the booth, including a magician using Canvas Visual Communications equipment to perform from a sales office in Herndon, Va., a caricaturist who used similar equipment to draw likenesses of booth visitors, and other contests and giveaways.

- Recent News -

- Perhaps the most significant news occurred in May when BTVI underwent an organizational restructuring led by its parent companies, British Telecommunications plc and CBCI Telecom. The agreement opened new distribution channels for Canvas Visual in the United States and worldwide. As part of the agreement, the company acquired the technology license for BT's highly advanced codec, which is at the heart of many Canvas products.

- Also, CBCI Telecom held a successful public offering in August 1996, and its shares (symbol: CAN) are traded on the Montreal and Toronto stock exchanges. Going public has better enabled the company to increase product development and accelerate the growth of Canvas Visual Communications worldwide.

"The combination of the public offering and the onward development of our technology puts us in a position to be singularly focused on developing specific visualconferencing applications that serve our customers' particular needs," explained Levy.

- To save capacity on its Atlanta-to-New York fiber optic lines, NBC Sports used 22 VI3000 codecs during the Olympic Games for an internal video preview system that enabled producers to see images from up to 100 cameras at various sports venues.

- Last August, CBCI Telecom purchased the videoconferencing division of Executone Information Systems Inc. and became the service provider to 500 Executone-equipped companies. Executone, which provides telephony equipment and related services, will make Canvas Visual products available to its customer base in the U.S.

- Canvas Visual Communications also reached an agreement in April with networkMCI Conferencing in which MCI's worldwide sales network will offer Canvas Visual Communications' visualconferencing products to application-based markets such as health care and distance learning.

All Canvas Visual Communications systems are based on an open architecture that is fully compliant with existing standards and can be easily upgraded to integrate new technologies and features as they become available. Open architecture also allows the products to be easily tailored to meet specific needs.

CONTACT: Austin Lawrence Group

Ken Lempit, 203/961-8888, ext. 3006

Jason Kannon, 203/961-8888, ext. 3002