MOUNTAIN CABLEVISION Leading Hamilton digital provider offers choices for today, technologies for tomorrow.

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2 MOUNTAIN CABLEVISION Leading Hamilton digital provider offers choices for today, technologies for tomorrow. As a leading provider of voice, data and video to residential and business clients, Mountain Cablevision is focused on providing three core services cable TV, high speed Internet and digital phone solutions. BY SCOTT LESLIE THE BUSINESS LINK STAFF Time is a valuable commodity for many people these days. But if you re looking for a one-stop shop for all your Internet, telephone and cable TV needs, Hamilton s Mountain Cablevision is in business to save you time and money. Based on 141 Hester Street in Hamilton, Mountain Cablevision Limited is an independently owned and operated cable television and telecommunications service provider serving the greater Hamilton region. Mountain Cablevision s telecom offerings include residential and business Internet services, wireless Internet services, and a residential digital telephone service. Unlike many of their new kid on the block competitors, Mountain Cablevision has been on the cutting edge of Internet and cable technologies for nearly 50 years an impressive feat given today s constantly shifting telecom world. At Mountain Cablevision, it all comes down to our customers, says Ryan Prudhomme, Director of Marketing at Mountain Cablevision. We want to help make their lives easier and hassle-free and offering one point of contact for all their digital services can make a world of difference. A HISTORY OF INNOVATION The origins of Mountain Cablevision began back in 1959 by a Hamilton entrepreneur named Owen Boris who decided to launch General Co-axial Services Limited a small Community Antenna Television (CATV) company that specialized in the installation of antenna systems for hotels, resorts and apartment buildings. One of the key challenges with Hamilton s fledgling television industry in the late 1950s and early 1960s was the need to improve signal strength and Owen s company fit a natural gap in the marketplace. His biggest challenge came later in 1959, however, when the Ontario Housing Corporation was experimenting with the possibility of building a new housing project in Hamilton that would have all utilities buried underground. General Co-axial Services was the company to install a CATV system at the development that would provide residents with an alternative to more cumbersome rooftop antennas. Once General Co-axial Services work was successfully completed, the neighbourhood became the first housing development in Canada with underground utilities, and Owen s modest operation began to grow exponentially. Much has changed since those early formative days when General Co-axial Services offered 12 channels to a mere 400 customers. Today, the rechristened Mountain Cablevision has developed into a progressive digital leader, serving

3 With their service, subscribers can access over 230 different channels including movie, sports, primetime, news and music selections. With their Video on Demand, you can also receive movies and specialty channels On Demand. The Mountain Cablevision team believes in offering choice and makes it a habit never to force their subscribers into awkward programming bundles. more than 45,000 customers and 1,700 commercial users in the communities of Hamilton, Cayuga, Mount Hope, Caledonia, Binbrook, Hagersville, Byng, Dunnville, Jarvis and Townsend. THE MOUNTAIN CABLEVISION ADVANTAGE As a leading provider of voice, data and video to residential and business clients, Mountain Cablevision is focused on providing three core services cable TV, high speed Internet and digital phone solutions. CABLE TV When it comes to cable TV, Mountain Cablevision has become a leading provider of digital cable, offering several premier services such as timeshifting services and a full slate of digital channels with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. Over the past decade, digital technology has revolutionized the cable marketplace. Unlike analog which offers a smaller channel selection, digital cable offers more channels with sharper picture and sound quality. One of the biggest advantages with digital cable these days is its convenience, Ryan explains. If you don t have time to catch your favourite shows or they re on at conflicting times, you can always watch prime time and specialty programs on channels in the Eastern and Pacific Time Zones with our time-shifting services. Mountain Cablevision is a strong believer in providing their subscribers with the most exceptional and competitive selection of channels available. With their service, subscribers can access over 230 different channels including movie, sports, primetime, news and music selections. With their Video on Demand, you can also receive movies and specialty channels On Demand. The Mountain Cablevision team believes in offering choice and makes it a habit never to force their subscribers into awkward programming bundles. Mountain Cablevision digital cable service also provides several added benefits over satellite systems. For instance, cable provides reliable service in any weather so their customers can enjoy all their favourite programs like TV series, movies or sports without the risk of service interruptions due to snow or thunderstorms. With Mountain Cablevision, subscribers can tune into over 60 different channels on separate TVs with no extra equipment required. The Mountain Cablevision team is ready to assist their subscribers at a moment s notice, Ryan says. We re committed to providing the very best in customer service and technical support. That s why we have our own local call...

4 ...centre where live professional agents can provide our cable customers with free, prompt and friendly technician in your home service calls. HIGH SPEED INTERNET Mountain Cablevision s high speed Internet service can provide their subscribers with a powerful alternative over a conventional dial-up connection. For instance, Mountain Cablevision s fibre network offers connection speeds that are up to 100 times faster than regular dial-up. With their high speed connection, users are always connected to the Internet so there s no need to connect and disconnect every time they go on-line or wait for their modem to dial their service provider. Mountain Cablevision provides several other value added features to their high speed Internet customers. For example, they offer multiple addresses and web space as well as free Virus Guard and Spam Guard to keep their customers free from infections. Mountain Cablevision is dedicated to helping businesses get the most from their Internet services. With their wireless high speed Internet service, they can help companies that aren t connected to their fibre optic network to be more competitive and increase their Mountain Cablevision s fibre network offers connection speeds that are up to 100 times faster than regular dial-up. revenues. Their wireless service also has a dedicated frequency that s not shared with any other Internet provider. The Mountain Cablevision team is always monitoring and improving their network so companies can count on them to make a big difference with their business. DIGITAL TELEPHONE SERVICES Mountain Cablevision s digital phone service offers a wide range of advantages that are miles ahead of conventional phone services. With their new 100% digital phone service, for instance, not only do you get crystal clear reception but there s no need for costly rewiring or complicated technology. (Users can use their existing phones and jacks and don t even require a computer like Internet phone services.) In terms of features, Mountain Cablevision also provides the same features as regular phone service like voice mail, call display and call waiting. As an innovative digital phone service provider, Mountain Cablevision has taken several steps to make sure their customers don t experience any service interruptions. With their phone service, calls travel along a separate fibre / coax network which is then transferred to the public telephone network so users never have any conflict with their Internet service. Mountain Cablevision even provides a back up power system to avoid any service disruption during power outages. Mountain Cablevision also offers a variety of business telephone solutions to help companies enhance their business and increase their efficiency everything from single-line service to multi-line solutions and PBX replacements. NEW IDEAS, NEW PARTNERSHIPS Mountain Cablevision is constantly on the lookout for ways to better serve its clientele, whether it s adding new services or enhancing their customer support system. But one of their biggest challenges and successes has been their decision to expand into the field of digital telephone service in 2005 and bundle it with their high speed Internet and cable TV offerings. Given Mountain Cablevision s relatively small geographic market, moving the digital telephone service field was one of the few growth areas left for their firm. Making... BUSINESS TELEPHONE SERVICE Mountain Cablevision offers an entire suite of business telephone solutions. From a simple single-line service to multi-line solutions and PBX replacements. They also have the added benefits of robust calling features, awardwinning technical support and is competitively priced with average savings of between 25%-40%.

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6 Looking ahead, the Mountain Cablevision team has set their sights on expanding their range of digital services and building their current subscriber base. Their dedication to offering choices for today and technologies for tomorrow continues. But so does their firm commitment to their small Steeltown roots....the transition to telephone service provider, however, offered more than its share of hurdles to overcome. Not only was there the technical issue of sending voice communication across their cable network. There was also their sales force to train and a new product to market. In order to launch their new digital telephone system and enhance many of their services Mountain Cablevision has partnered with several communications firms and vendors over the years including MTS Allstream and Clear Cable. In the case of MTS Allstream, they helped manage the technical demands of Mountain Cablevision s new telephone services. The MTS Allstream system also offered directory listing, full 911 capabilities and an innovative set of residential features. Other leading firms like Aurora Networks and Maxxian have provided Mountain Cablevision with revolutionary devices that help their team achieve greater capacity with their fibre system and digital applications. Other innovative partners developed cutting edge fibre optic devices for Mountain Cablevision that allowed their team to deploy a deep fibre infrastructure and to achieve high reliability communications. The Mountain Cablevision team likes working with small aggressive companies. They re always willing to take that extra risk and work with vendors that are small and entrepreneurial. If it hadn t been for companies like MTS Allstream for instance, they wouldn t have been able to get into the digital phone marketplace as quickly as they have. Mountain Cablevision s decision to enter the residential telephone game has paid more than its share of dividends. In the past three years alone, their revenues have nearly doubled. Sixty-fi ve percent of Mountain Cablevision s customers also use their new telephone services and those numbers continue to see strong growth. A REPUTATION FOR EXCELLENCE There s more to their success than just innovative partnerships and technologies, however. Mountain Cablevision s reputation for excellence has become widespread throughout the telecommunications field. In fact, representatives from other cable firms often visit Mountain Cablevision s facilities to get a better sense of their latest projects and see some of their best practices in action. In 2006, their firm was also named a Top-Tier Operator by Communications Technology, the official trade publication of the

7 Mountain Cablevision: Fast Facts Founded by Hamilton entrepreneur Owen Boris in 1959 as a CATV operator Provides cable TV, Internet, telephone and business solutions Serves over 45,000 customers and 1,700 commercial users in Hamilton, Cayuga, Mount Hope, Caledonia, Binbrook, Hagersville, Byng, Dunnville, Jarvis and Townsend Expanded into the field of digital telephone service in 2005 In 2006, their firm was also named a Top-Tier Operator by Communications Technology, the official trade publication of the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE). Mountain Cablevision received this award for implementing the packet-cable, Quality of Service standard in the commercial deployment of their cable-based telephone system. Voted Hamilton s Favourite Internet Service Provider by Hamilton Spectator readers from 2002 to 2006 Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE). Mountain Cablevision received this award for implementing the packet-cable, Quality of Service standard in the commercial deployment of their cablebased telephone system. (Mountain Cablevision was also the very first Canadian cable company to receive this honour.) Over the past several years, recognitions like these have helped solidify Mountain Cablevision s standing in the industry and lead to their rapid progress. But their firm is also highly regarded when it comes to their own subscribers. For instance, from 2002 to 2006, Mountain Cablevision was voted Hamilton s Favourite Internet Service Provider by Hamilton Spectator readers. KEEPING IT ALL IN THE FAMILY In today s ever-changing telecom field, Mountain Cablevision has been able to rack up an incredible number of successes whether it s becoming the first Canadian firm to launch a residential telephone service on a cable plant or the first digitally duplicated plant in all of North America. But not everything has changed at Mountain Cablevision. The company is still owned and operated by the Boris family and is one of the last remaining independent cable firms in North America. Although their base of 45,000 subscribers is still relatively modest compared to telecom giants like Rogers with their two million subscribers, Mountain Cablevision takes a great deal of pride in their local identity and to keeping things all in the family. Looking ahead, the Mountain Cablevision team has set their sights on expanding their range of digital services and building their current subscriber base. Their dedication to offering choices for today and technologies for tomorrow continues. But so does their firm commitment to their small Steeltown roots. They like to promote themelves as a small but innovative local cable company and that s the real key to our success. For more information call Mountain Cablevision today. General Business

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