Novus extends fibre-optic network to Richmond through Canada Line tunnels and
guideway

Local company will be providing an open access fibre optic network from Waterfront Station in Vancouver to Brighouse Station in Richmond

VANCOUVER, March 30 /CNW/ - Having strategically invested in a state-of-the-art fibre optic network in downtown Vancouver and in Burnaby, Novus Entertainment Inc. has now extended its network to Richmond. It has done so by partnering with InTransitBC Limited Partnership, operator of the Canada Line, to place a 288 count fibre-optic cable along the Canada Line between Waterfront Station in Vancouver and Brighouse Station in Richmond.

Novus will use a portion of the fibres to deliver its own Cable Television, Internet and Digital Phone services. The balance of the fibres will be available to other communications service providers and to businesses for lease or for sale. Doug Holman, Co-President and Chief Financial Officer of Novus Entertainment Inc. noted, "This is an important step forward for providing broadband access in Canada. By leasing fibre to other service providers and to businesses, Novus is allowing companies to deploy broadband services economically. To date, other companies holding fibre optic assets have generally insisted on providing "managed services", greatly adding to the cost of accessing fibre optic cables."

"InTransitBC was pleased to partner with Novus for the placement of this fibre-optic cable and to share in the business of an open-access network," said Jean-Marc Arbaud, President & CEO of InTransit BC Limited Partnership. "It made sense to create this opportunity while we were building the Canada Line. We saw this as a revenue opportunity for InTransitBC and we appreciated the importance of providing greater broadband access in Vancouver and in Richmond."

The opportunity was a unique one. As Donna Robertson, Co-President and Chief Legal Officer of Novus observed, "It's unlikely that there will be another project of the scale of the Canada Line in Vancouver and Richmond in the near future. The trenching of miles of streets and the construction of the tunnels provided a perfect opportunity for the placement of significant fibre optic assets to serve companies now and in the future. Novus saw this not only as the perfect means to extend its fibre-optic network in new areas of Vancouver, but also as the best way to bring its business to Richmond. The citizens of Richmond will now be able to enjoy competitive television and digital telephone services and the fastest Internet speeds in Canada."

Novus will provide break-outs at each of the stations along the Canada Line for easy connections for communications service providers and for businesses and is interconnected at 555 West Hastings Street in Vancouver for outward transport of signals.

About Novus Entertainment Inc.

Founded in 1996, Novus Entertainment Inc. is a privately owned and operated Vancouver company providing high-speed Internet, cable and digital TV and digital phone services to residents in condominium and apartment buildings in Metro Vancouver. Its state-of-the-art Fibre-to-the-Building (FTTB) network is designed specifically to transport high speed, high capacity video, data and voice services to residents, as well as provide dark fibre to local businesses. Novus continues to expand its fibre optic network throughout Metro Vancouver to offer customers the very best in entertainment and communications technology. The network provides truly digital service and virtually unlimited bandwidth with the capability to meet future demands, particularly for high-definition programming and streaming video. For more information on Novus, go to www.novusnow.ca.

For further information: or to schedule an interview, please contact: Nick Seliwoniuk, 1-866-809-5965, [email protected]