Bell Aliant roars into fall with more speed, more apps - and five new FibreOP communities

• Turns up the dial on market-leading Internet speeds and delivers new TV apps to customers -- at no additional cost
• Invests $11.5 million to expand FibreOP network to 22,000 more homes and businesses in five new communities

HALIFAX, Aug. 15, 2012 /CNW/ - Bell Aliant (TSX: BA) is making the FibreOP™ experience even better with more speed and new TV apps at no additional cost for new and existing customers. Bell Aliant has turned up the dial on its FibreOP Internet service, boosting existing customers' download speeds by as much as 20 Mbps. Bell Aliant's most popular bundle now comes with download speeds up to 50 Mbps (increased from 30 Mbps) and upload speeds up to 30 Mbps.

To make the TV experience even better for its customers, Bell Aliant has launched two new TV apps. FibreOP customers can use the new Weather Network app to get up-to-the-minute forecasts, pollen reports, UV ratings and ski conditions for cities around the world. The new Galaxie app provides an easy-to-use format for playing music by genre, and gives customers the ability to see album cover art, get detailed artist and song information, and see what songs have been played and are coming up.

"More than 574,000 homes and businesses now have access to this technology, and we're growing our reach every day," said Andre LeBlanc, Vice President, Residential Markets, Bell Aliant. "Our FibreOP network has innovation built in. That's why we call it future-proof, and that's how we're able to increase speeds and add new apps for our customers -- absolutely free."

Bell Aliant is also investing $11.5 million to expand its fibre-to-the home (FTTH) network to 22,000 more homes and businesses in five new Atlantic Canadian communities -- Grand Falls-Windsor, NL; Campbellton, NB;  Digby, NS; Antigonish, NS; and Hampton, NB. Bell Aliant is also adding new homes and businesses to its footprint in the Greater Moncton area.

So far in 2012, Bell Aliant has announced FibreOP builds in Edmundston, Grand Falls, Woodstock, and Sussex, New Brunswick; Yarmouth and Bridgewater, Nova Scotia; Corner Brook, Newfoundland; and Sudbury, Ontario.

With fibre-to-the-home, connection speeds and data capability are dramatically increased. Bell Aliant's FibreOP network offers the best TV experience with amazing features like the best Whole Home PVR, the most HD movies on demand, and the most amazing apps. FibreOP offers Atlantic Canada's fastest Internet speeds with download speeds of up to 250 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 30 Mbps. With a FibreOP bundle, customers get the best of everything with incredible savings. Bell Aliant FibreOP is #1 in customer satisfaction.

Bell Aliant was the first in Canada to cover an entire city with fibre-to-the-home. By the end of 2012, the company will have invested approximately half a billion dollars to extend fibre-optic technology to approximately 650,000 homes and businesses in its territory.

About Bell Aliant Bell Aliant (TSX: BA) is one of North America's largest regional communications providers and the first company in Canada to cover an entire city with fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) technology with its FibreOP services. Through its operating entities, it serves customers in six Canadian provinces with innovative information, communication and technology services including voice, data, Internet, video and value-added business solutions. Bell Aliant's employees deliver the highest quality customer service, choice and convenience.

Image with caption: "Galaxie music app. (CNW Group/BELL ALIANT INC.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120815_C7097_PHOTO_EN_16899.jpg

Image with caption: "The Weather Network app. (CNW Group/BELL ALIANT INC.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120815_C7097_PHOTO_EN_16898.jpg

SOURCE: BELL ALIANT INC.

Sarah Levy MacLeod
Bell Aliant
Phone: 855 487-5026
sarah.levy@bellaliant.ca