TRLabs welcomes two new members: PMC-Sierra and NMI Mobility

November 12, 1999 -- TRLabs, Canada's leading information and communications technology (ICT) research consortium, is pleased to welcome two new members - PMC-Sierra and NMI Mobility. These two sponsorships will generate $1.5 million in research funding over the next five years.

Says TRLabs President and CEO Glenn Rainbird, "The decisions by these companies to become sponsors serve as a strong endorsement for TRLabs. While they strive to compete in the intensely dynamic world of ICT, they recognize the value of sharing in a collaborative, pre-competitive way to develop new knowledge, technologies and highly skilled personnel for the future. We are pleased that the success of our industry-university-government consortium model continues to attract new members."

PMC-Sierra and NMI Mobility are the first two companies to take advantage of TRLabs new membership categories, introduced to enable more companies to benefit from collaborative research. PMC-Sierra joined TRLabs as a Silver member and NMI Mobility as a Bronze member.

PMC-Sierra (NASDAQ:PMCS) is a leading provider of high speed internetworking semiconductor solutions for ATM, Ethernet, SONET/SDH and T1/E1, T3/E3 applications. The company has 15 locations world-wide and over 600 employees. Customers include leading network equipment suppliers such as Lucent Technologies, Nortel Networks, 3Com, Alcatel Telecom, Ascend Communications, Cisco Systems, FORE Systems and Newbridge Networks.

NMI Mobility is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NorthwesTel Inc., formed to place emphasis on expanding wireless technologies and services for business and consumers north of the 60th parallel and in the northern tier of British Columbia. The company provides the North with Cellular, Satellite (including the North's first Prepaid Satellite Payphone products) and Digital Alpha-Numeric Paging services that exceed the demands for portable, mobile and fixed applications for both voice and data. Specializing in remote and rural wireless requirements, NMI Mobility is uniquely positioned to " Clearly Connect the North."

TRLabs is Canada's leading ICT research consortium. Based on industry-university-government collaboration, TRLabs operates research labs in five cities: Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg. Its industrial sponsors include telecom carriers, multinational equipment manufacturers, telecommunications service providers and close to 30 small technology businesses throughout Western Canada. University sponsors are the Universities of Alberta, Calgary, Manitoba, Regina and Saskatchewan, and government sponsors are the governments of Canada, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Since its inception in 1986, TRLabs has been conducting pre-competitive research, creating innovative technologies and training students at the graduate and undergraduate levels to enhance Canada's telecommunications and information technology expertise and improve its global competitiveness.

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