FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALPHA TECHNOLOGIES ANNOUNCES NEW DIGITAL INTERFACE FOR XM SERIES 2 POWER SUPPLY

Bellingham, Wash., November 23, 1998 - Alpha Technologies, world-leading manufacturer of cable television and broadband power supplies, announces a new low-cost serial interface for the XM Series 2 CableUPS. Leading the way towards low-cost economical transponder interfaces, Alpha Technologies is working with industry leaders to provide simple and accurate interfaces to digital transponders.

Several benefits are gained by using digital communications between the power supply and status monitoring equipment. Power supply data displayed on network monitoring stations exactly match the meter readings seen in the field. Additionally, using a direct digital connection increases the amount of data available to monitor while eliminating the need for additional analog circuitry in the power supply and analog-to-digital converters in status monitoring transponders— leading to reduced overall costs to install power supply status monitoring.

Alpha Technologies Inc. develops power conversion, protection and standby products for telecommunications and cable television industries, including custom, application-specific power solutions. In addition to product development, Alpha Technologies provides a comprehensive range of installation and maintenance services to support its global customer base. Alpha Technologies is a member of The Alpha Group of companies.

The Alpha Group represents a global alliance of independent companies that share a common philosophy - create world-class powering solutions for communication, commercial, industrial and renewable energy markets.

For this and/or additional information in electronic form, go to www.alpha.com.