MTT Announces Marketing and Development Alliance With Sun Microsystems Inc.

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 9, 1999--

Memorandum of Understanding Includes Joint Product Development,

Marketing of Mpowered Product Solutions Hosted on Sun's Server

Maritime Tel & Tel (MTT), Nova Scotia's telecommunications company and a leader in service innovation, today announced at Supercomm '99 that its MTT Mpowered division has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Sun Microsystems Inc.

Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will work together to develop a portfolio of solutions to deliver MTT software and systems integration services to customers on Sun hardware platforms.

The four-part agreement includes:

-- Product Development - Sun plans to work with MTT Mpowered to

develop solutions targeted at distance learning, media,

ecommerce, hosted services, set-top box technology, Smart Home

technology and telemedicine.

-- Authorized JAVA(tm) Center Accreditation - Sun intends to advance

MTT's expertise in JAVA technology to accredit MTT as an

authorized JAVA center.

-- Market Development - MTT plans to enroll in Sun's Independent

Software Vendor (ISV) program and develop a joint marketing plan

to deliver MTT software and systems integration on Sun hardware

platforms to telecommunications service providers.

-- Preferred Customer and Supplier Relationships - Under this

relationship, MTT intends to host both ISV solutions and internal

IT projects on Sun where technically feasible. Sun would provide

MTT with discounts under its end user discount program and create

new financing models for legacy migration programs.

"We see this partnership with Sun as our first of many such joint development opportunities with hardware providers to collaborate on ways to expand their marketplace access," said Monty Sharma, chief technology officer, MTT. "This Agreement reflects our joint vision of driving the development of future data networks by developing a service-driven network for the delivery of application and content solutions to business and consumer markets."

"Our agreement with MTT Mpowered means we will be able to expand our service offering and truly differentiate ourselves in our marketplace," said Kelvin Rowlette, director of IP services, Sun Microsystems Inc. "We are delighted to be working with a company that understands our needs based on their own in-depth experience, and shares our vision that hosting a variety of creative applications on our servers is the future of broadband service for the business and consumer market."

MTT Mpowered is developing new products and services for the broadband marketplace. Mpowered licenses these applications to other NSPs providing them with new revenue streams and offerings to differentiate their services.

MTT builds these new broadband applications based on their extensive knowledge and understanding of their domestic customers. MTT applies its knowledge as a full service telco to develop unique products and services for broadband networks around the world.

Mpowered is the world's most advanced broadband content delivery system.

Mpowered currently has four service offerings ready for deployment and many more under development. These all represent unique revenue and differentiation opportunities for NSPs. Mpowered is developing comprehensive offerings for both the consumer and business markets. The four existing applications include:

-- Mpowered Software on Demand(tm)- offers access to an every

expanding library of educational, productivity, and entertainment

software titles that customers can lease for the time duration of

their choice. -- Mpowered Office Solutions(tm) - a robust CO-based messaging and

collaborative platform with integrated application services,

based on a unique extension of Microsoft exchange server Outlook

and client. -- Mpowered Hosted LAN - enables SMEs to connect their offices for

comprehensive Intranet access, file sharing and remote print

service capability. -- Mpowered High Speed Internet - with special feature such as

advanced security, caching and network address translation.

MTT Mpowered software-on-demand is unique in offering access to an ever-expanding library of educational, productivity and entertainment software titles that customers can lease, an application that MTT successfully launched last year to customers in Nova Scotia. MTT expects this alliance to further its expansion plans for business and residential customers for its MTT Mpowered service.

The MTT Mpowered platform also includes services tailored to network services providers (NSPs); including, high-speed Internet access, with special features such as advanced security and caching, and network address translation; and Office Solutions (OS).

OS provides one of the most advanced messaging and collaborative computing environments available in the market today, allowing network service providers to enter the hosted services marketplace for business customers.

MTT Mpowered's unique benefits to network service providers include:

-- Multiple new revenue streams via new broadband offerings -- A broadband network application suite with the most revenue

potential of any DSL application presently available -- Increased broadband market share, by offering a key

differentiator to customers shopping for a broadband connection -- Network-agnostic capabilities, allowing the platform to work for

a telephone, cable, wireless or powerline service provider -- Quickest market entry, reducing deployment time from years to

months

MTT has served the telecommunications needs of more than a million Nova Scotians since 1910. MTT presently serves thousands of local customers in Nova Scotia with the MTT Mpowered service, the world's most advanced content delivery system.

Today, MTT is focused on being a leader in the areas of communications, information, transactions and entertainment by providing leading edge products and services to customers, including wireline and wireless voice, data and Internet access.

MTT is part of Aliant, the second-largest Canadian IT company and third-largest Canadian telecom company. Aliant is a $3 billion holding company created by the merger of four telecoms companies: MTT, Bruncor, NewTel Enterprises and Island Telecom. Aliant has more than 9,000 employees located throughout Canada and the U.S.

For more information, access the MTT worldwide web site at www.mtt.ca.