Bridging the Voice and Data Gap: Mitel Announces Agreement With COGNICASE.

Business Editors

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 6, 2000

MITEL (NYSE:MLT)(TSE:MLT.) (LSE:MLT.L)

Distribution Agreement Provides Total Information Technology Solutions

for Enterprises

Mitel Communications Systems, a division of Mitel Corporation today announced an agreement with COGNICASE Inc. (TSE:COG/Nasdaq:COGI) to sell Mitel's family of communications solutions, including its complete line of enterprise convergence technologies, to business customers across Canada.

The agreement is Mitel's first with an IP-based data networking and applications specialist, allowing Mitel to showcase IP telephony to COGNICASE's data clients. COGNICASE, a specialist in the integration of complex IT solutions, significantly expands its portfolio of offerings for enterprise customers by associating with a global leader in voice enterprise convergence technologies.

"Our data clients are looking to us to provide excellence in IP voice offerings," said Hugues Quintal, vice-president, Telecommunications and Networks for COGNICASE. "Mitel is a strategic choice in voice technologies for us because of their profound understanding of telephony technology."

The convergence of voice and data technologies lets enterprise customers use their data infrastructures more efficiently and enables extensive telephony applications designed to harness the power of the Internet. Customers with IP technologies installed in their facilities can expect easily accessible Internet information to be provided through their telephone, in addition to a more effective use of the existing communications infrastructure.

COGNICASE will showcase the IP applications and technologies in which Mitel has recognized expertise, such as speech recognition, unified messaging and mobility enhancement. COGNICASE will also sell Mitel's PBX products, the Mitel SX 2000(TM), SX 2000 Micro Light(TM) and Superset(TM) telephone systems that enhance the communications offering.

"COGNICASE is a new type of dealer for Mitel, one that is well-established in data communications," said Carl Carruthers, vice president, sales for the Americas, Mitel Communications Systems. "They have a national reputation in data infrastructure -- adding Mitel voice convergence products will enhance this offering."

About COGNICASE

COGNICASE is an innovative company specialized in the development and integration of e-commerce solutions using the Internet and Wireless technologies. Based on its results-driven approach, software and technologies, as well as its international Internet engineering, ASP applications development and IT hosting center, COGNICASE offers innovative solutions that contribute to the business success of its customers in the digital economy. The Company is active in several countries, including Canada, the United States, France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Australia.

About Mitel

Mitel Communications Systems has almost three decades of experience in meeting the real-time voice needs of enterprise customers. Systems' portfolio includes voice communications systems, desktop peripherals and networking solutions. Mitel Communications Systems is today helping enterprises develop and launch IP telephony applications.

Mitel is a global provider of semiconductors and communications systems for converging voice and data networks in a rapidly evolving Internet economy. The company has annual revenue of $1.4 billion and employs some 6,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit www.mitel.com.

Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risk, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and assumptions include, among others, the risks discussed in documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors are encouraged to consider the risks detailed in those filings.