For Immediate Release

Hotline Communications Ltd. launches Hotline Connect 1.5 at Spring
Internet World, Los Angeles Community-building software suite first
to provide Windows and Mac users with real-time, easy-to-use
collaborative communication over the Internet - with or without the
Web and e-mail.

Editor's Highlights

- Builds instant, online communities by turning any desktop computer
into a forum for live, efficient communication and collaboration

- Provides private and public chatting and conferencing to allow
individuals in associations, educational institutions, government
departments, corporations and other groups to interact quickly and
easily in real time with minimal technical knowledge through a simple
graphical user interface

- Offers the flexibility of dispatching instant messages and news,
privately and publicly

- Conducts fast and resumable file transfer

- Saves disk space by allowing the user to view images and text
before downloading

- Runs along with or independently of all other Internet capabilities
or services or communications, complementing existing Internet
communications

- Multi-platform parity: Win95, Win98, Windows NT, Mac OS

- Low system requirements: 2 MB of RAM and 2 MB of disk space

Spring Internet World, Los Angeles, April 13, 1999 - Hotline
Communications Ltd. today introduced Hotline Connect 1.5, a new
version of the company's flagship, community-building software suite
that has already provided more than two million Windows and Mac users
worldwide with real-time, collaborative communication over the
Internet - independently of the Web and e-mail.

Hotline Connect 1.5 will be demonstrated at booth #1030 at Spring
Internet World in Los Angeles April 14-16. It is the only software
application that provides live and simultaneous chatting,
conferencing, messaging and file-transfer over the Internet from one
graphical user interface. Based on a proprietary programming
framework and protocols that the company calls AppWarrior, Hotline
Connect answers the growing market demand for low-cost, easy-to-use,
collaborative communication solutions for individuals in
associations, societies, educational institutions, government
departments, small/medium-size corporations and other groups to
become citizens of the Internet without having to learn cryptic
technical procedures.

According to Jupiter Communications, a new media research firm,
communities increasingly need three key online services for effective
operations: low-cost, real-time communication, publishing and
organizational tools. Hotline Connect answers all these needs,
enabling constituents with a common interest or communication need to
build, maintain and manage its Hotline community; integrate its Web
site content with its Hotline content; and situate itself among
related communities globally. The rapidly growing number of Internet
users worldwide pushes the demand for efficient communication
systems. This trend is positioning Hotline as the leading edge
provider of cost-effective communication -- without the requirement
for extensive technical set-up and support. Since the company first
announced the pre-release of version 1.5 to its user base a month
ago, downloads of the product from the Hotline Web site have risen
from 55,000 in February to 80,000 in March. "Hotline Connect is a
fundamental application for any group that wants to improve its
communication on the Internet," said Steve Bielawski, President and
CEO, Hotline Communications Ltd. "We designed Hotline Connect to
replicate face-to-face collaboration while ensuring that the
application is simple, elegant and intuitive. Hotline's vision is to
set a new standard for Internet communications but to complement
conventional Internet services like browsers and e-mail."

The Hotline Connect suite, comprised of the Client and Server,
enables individuals to create, build and maintain their own Internet
communities instantly. It turns any desktop computer into a server,
enabling the user to host his or her own news center and forum for
chat and conferencing. The product can be used on its own or in
conjunction with other Internet applications like the Web, providing
a package for complete, integrated Internet communication. It gives
the user real-time and simultaneous messaging, chat and conferencing;
resumable file transfer and file viewing; news board reading and
posting, and community-list searching and filtering. It has low
system requirements and runs identically on Windows and Mac platforms
for effective business, academic and personal collaboration.

"Hotline Connect works very well for us and our advanced digital
publishing students at Purdue University and Miami University, Ohio,"
said David Swint, Associate Director of the Media Center at the
American Press Institute. "The students had trouble collaborating
before because they were dealing with different platforms. With
Hotline Connect they gather very easily in our virtual classroom,
where we've set up guest lecturers and question/answer periods. It's
very effective."

Hotline Connect 1.5 incorporates all the features of previous
versions and introduces several new capabilities for expanded and
enhanced functionality: Accompanying Background Activity - Hotline
runs along with all other computer and Internet services and can
launch Internet helper applications, like browsers, to give the user
full employment of the Internet.

Navigating Communities - Hotline Connect lists, filters and bookmarks
multiple Hotline community trackers in one window, letting the user
easily locate and visit communities of interest.

Dynamic Toolbar - The toolbar adapts to privileges granted to users
by Server administrators, making visible to the user the enabled and
disabled functions like upload, download, delete and disconnect. It
also reveals tool tips and displays the current location and active
tasks.

Threaded News - News posts are arranged into categories, enabling the
Server administrator to maintain threaded discussion groups.

File Viewing - Users can preview text and image files such as bmp,
pict, jpeg, and static and gif files with the option to save them to
their hard drives.

Messaging Features - Private messages and message replies are marked
with a time and date stamp and a descriptive header for expedient
communication. Users who are temporarily unavailable can set
automated away messages explaining absences from computer activity.

Folder Download - For fast exchange of information, entire folders
can be downloaded.

Availability
The Hotline Client version 1.5 can be downloaded beginning Thursday,
15 April 1999 from Hotline's Web site
(http://www.hotlinesw.com/)www.HotlineSW.com and from the Hotline
Communications Server, hlserver.com. Availability of the new release
of 1.5 is concurrent with Hotline Communications' Internet World news
conference on Thursday at 2:30-3:15 in Room 407 at the Los Angeles
Convention Center.

About Hotline Communications Ltd.
Hotline Communications Ltd. supplies leading edge, high-speed
Internet networking solutions. The company was founded in July 1997
and is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Hotline Communications Ltd. Contact:
BJ Singh
Tel: (416) 531.7804 x229
Fax: (416) 531.7805
E-mail: bj@hotlinesw.com

Agency Contact:
Liz Bazini, Verrecchia Group
Tel: (514) 733.5529
Fax: (514) 733.1094
E-mail: liz@vergroup.com