NY -- Standard & Poor's CreditWire 6/15/98 û Standard & Poor's today assigned its single-`A'-plus corporate credit rating to BCE Inc., Bell Canada's parent company. The single-`A'-plus rating reflects the strength of the dividend and interest income stream BCE receives from Bell Canada (see related press release) and its other major dividend-paying holdings, which include Northern Telecom Ltd. and Tele-Direct (Publications) Inc. The dividend and interest income adequately covers BCE's debt servicing obligations. In addition, the rating takes into account the quality and diversity of BCE's portfolio, which translates into a strong net asset value to net debt and preferred equity coverage ratio at BCE. BCE is a holding company that owns a series of majority and minority-ownership positions in
