Major international "Wireless Vision" Congress announced

Brian Tobin, federal Minister of Industry, and Roger Grimes, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, announced, today, that an international wireless congress will take place in St. John�s this September. Princess Elettra Marconi Giovanelli, daughter of Guglielmo Marconi, and Executive Director of the Wireless Vision Congress, Brendan Fahey, joined in the announcement. They spoke from Signal Hill National Historic Site, St. John�s where Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal in 1901.

The Wireless Vision Congress will gather an international representation of industry leaders from September 26 - 28, 2001 to discuss the future impact wireless technologies will have in areas such as health care, education and the economy.

Minister Tobin and Premier Grimes announced a contribution of $850,000 to the Congress from the Canada-Newfoundland Comprehensive Economic Development Agreement. This six-year $95 million agreement is administered federally by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and provincially by the Department of Industry, Trade and Rural Development.

"That pivotal moment 100 years ago has inspired many a modern-day Marconi, entrepreneurs and inventors, who are driven by their curiosity and whose passion effect real change," said Minister Tobin. "The Government of Canada welcomes initiatives such as Wireless Vision. We are a high-tech nation committed to the continued development of wireless communications. We are - and plan to remain - a global leader in this industry."

"Marconi�s 1901 achievement immediately influenced and shaped the future," said Premier Grimes. "And now, 100 years later, we will dare to look forward as the Wireless Vision Congress focuses our attention on issues of global significance."

"It�s not a trade show, it�s a thinkers� congress," says Congress Chair John Kelly, partner at Reid Eddison Inc. "A place where the transformation of the human condition is discussed by industry visionaries and others who can make a difference for our future. Each delegate will be able to participate in a dialogue that reflects on the past 100 years and envisions what the world will be 100 years from now." Mr. Kelly leads a Congress Steering Committee of industry and government participants with both provincial and national representation.

Speakers scheduled to address the Wireless Vision Congress include:

- Arthur C. Clarke, author and futurist;
- Jean C. Monty, chairman and CEO of Bell Canada Enterprises Inc
- Frank Plastina, president, Wireless Internet, Nortel Networks
- Hamadoun I. Tour�, director, Telecommunications Development Bureau,     International Telecommunications Union, and
- Sacha Trudeau, documentary film maker.

Themes for the Wireless Vision Congress include the Wireless Impact on Health Care, Education and Economy; Cultural Diversity in a Wireless World; Defeating Distance in Remote and Rural Areas; and The Digital Divide.

The Wireless Vision Congress is a joint initiative of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Government of Canada. It is part of the provincial Receiving the World celebrations planned throughout 2001 to commemorate the 100 anniversary of the first transatlantic wireless signal. Aliant, Bell Mobility, Nortel Networks and Newfoundland Power are major corporate sponsors of the Wireless Vision Congress.

Media contact:
Jennifer Deon
Communications Officer
Wireless Vision Congress
(709) 729-1608

Carl Cooper
Director of Communications
Premier�s Office
(709) 729-3564

Catherina Kennedy
Director of Communications
Tourism, Culture and Recreation
(709) 729-0928

Heidi Bonnell
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Industry
(613) 995-9001

2001 02 26                                   9:20 a.m.