Mr. Brad Shaw reports

SHAW CLOSES VIAWEST ACQUISITION

Shaw Communications Inc. has closed its previously announced acquisition of ViaWest Inc. from Oak Hill Capital Partners and other shareholders for an enterprise value of $1.2-billion (U.S.).

"The ViaWest acquisition provides Shaw a growth platform in the attractive North American data centre sector and is another significant step in expanding our technology offerings for mid-market enterprises in Western Canada," said Shaw's chief executive officer, Brad Shaw.

"We are delighted to welcome the ViaWest management team and employees to Shaw, and we look forward to jointly delivering on ViaWest's next phase of growth in the U.S. and using the ViaWest expertise to accelerate the development of our Canadian data centre platform," Mr. Shaw said.

The current ViaWest management team, led by co-founder, president and chief executive officer Nancy Phillips, will continue to operate ViaWest from its Denver headquarters as a stand-alone wholly owned subsidiary of Shaw, building upon its record of profitable growth.

"The ViaWest team is highly motivated by the acquisition and excited to expand on the momentum we are experiencing in our markets. We look forward to serving our customers in the marketplace and seizing the significant opportunities ahead of us," Ms. Phillips said. "Together, the strategic and cultural alignment between Shaw and ViaWest is very positive for our customers, partners and employees, and further strengthens our position as the leading co-location and hybrid infrastructure services provider in North America," added Ms. Phillips.

About ViaWest

ViaWest is a leading co-location, cloud and managed services provider in North America, with a comprehensive suite of fully compliant environments, including premium wholesale and retail colocation, private and public clouds, and managed services. Enabling businesses to leverage both their existing information technology infrastructure and emerging cloud resources, ViaWest delivers the right balance of cost, scalability and security. With a team-based account management approach and a 100-per-cent uptime guarantee, ViaWest offers tailored solutions designed for maximum reliability and flexibility. For more information, please visit the ViaWest website.

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