SaskTel International awards contract to Calian subsidiary

Business Wire, June 20, 1997

KANATA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 20, 1997--(TSE: CTY) Saskatchewan high-tech companies collaborate on export sales opportunity:

Calian Technology Ltd.'s Saskatchewan-based subsidiary, SED Systems Inc., has been awarded a contract from SaskTel International to design a Work Management System for telecommunications companies and other industries with mobile customer-service staff. The Work Management System will use standard telephone lines, trunked radio or cellular radio to carry trouble calls and work order updates between SaskTel's offices and special laptop computers carried by service personnel in the field. The Work Management System will be integrated with other SaskTel office computer systems, giving field personnel ready access to the information they require to do their jobs faster and more effectively. This improved communication will keep SaskTel ahead of its competition in responding to customer needs.

This project combines SaskTel International's extensive knowledge of the telecommunications industry with SED's expertise in developing specialized communication systems. The development will be managed by SaskTel International, with most of the work being carried out in Saskatoon at SED's facility. The project will provide employment for about 15 staff at SED during the initial system development.

The Work Management System is intended for worldwide application in the telecommunication and other service industries. Concurrent with the SaskTel project, SaskTel International will market the system to telecommunication companies in North America and overseas. SED has committed to provide product support for these systems.

Both SED and SaskTel International see this project as the beginning of a long term relationship between the companies. Each company has won numerous jobs on the international front over the past few years, but this is the first time the two organizations have worked together.

SED's President Dugald Buchanan said: "SaskTel has earned a solid reputation as a technology leader in the telecommunication world. We are delighted to be working with them on this exciting new development."

"SaskTel is constantly looking at ways to further enhance the level of service to our customers," said Gord Farmer, Vice President, Customer Services. "This Work Management System will improve our ability to communicate with our mobile field service personnel, resulting in better service to our customers."

"With SED's experience in the high-tech industry, I believe they can contribute some unique capabilities to our export activities," said Dale Bassen, President, SaskTel International. In addition to consulting, design and installation contracts overseas, SaskTel International has found success marketing its telecommunications software internationally and is expanding its current software products line. SaskTel International continues to develop and improve its two main products, the MARTENS(TM) and SwitchGate(TM) systems.

Calian Technology Ltd. and its subsidiaries provide advanced technology services, systems and products to industry and government worldwide. SED Systems Inc. designs and builds electronic systems for custom applications in commercial and defence markets. Calian's shares are publicly traded on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol CTY.

SaskTel International is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SaskTel and is currently working in the Philippines, United Kingdom, United States, Korea, Jamaica and Canada.

SaskTel, a provincially-owned Crown Corporation, is the leading full-service communications company in Saskatchewan, providing voice, data, Internet, text and messaging services over a fully-digital network, as well as cellular, paging and FleetNet 800 service through its SaskTel Mobility Division.

CONTACT: SaskTel Corporate Affairs

Darcee MacFarlane, 306/777-4441

or

Calian Technology Ltd.

Greg Strong, 613/599-7200