CONTACT INFORMATION

HickoryTech
www.hickorytech.com

MANKAto, MN, October 3, 2000 - HickoryTech Corporation (HickoryTech) (Nasdaq:HTCO) today announced that The Corporation of the City of Thunder Bay - Telephone Department has signed a contract for HickoryTech's WRITE2k® billing solution. Thunder Bay Mobility is the wireless division of Thunder Bay - Telephone.

Sharon Hacio, Thunder Bay Telephone's General Manager said, "Our search for the right billing solution for our wireless division was based on three factors: quality, flexibility and time frame. HickoryTech was able to meet our requirements on all three points, which made selecting them as our vendor of choice an easy decision. They will provide a service bureau environment for us the first year and will help us bring the billing in-house in a year."

WRITE2k focuses on the business-centric needs of a company such as Thunder Bay Mobility. It employs an innovative rules-based design and enterprise wide NT environment that enables service providers to easily implement new products, services, rate plans, marketing messages, and discounts into their billing statements.

"WRITE2k's client-server architecture allows the system to easily scale to a company's growth," said Lane Nordquist, President of the Information Solutions Division of HickoryTech. "The flexibility of deploying the system as a service bureau solution dramatically reduces training and operation costs and allows service providers to respond to the marketplace very rapidly."

Traditional billing solutions incorporate hard-coded or table-driven systems with the information management systems centering around the billing function. These outdated legacy systems severely limit service providers by requiring extensive reprogramming to adjust to the ever-changing marketplace.

In contrast, WRITE2k uses a rules-based design that allows service providers to modify system capabilities without expensive and time consuming programming changes. WRITE2k features a suite of client-server applications that support the business functions that a service provider demands from a billing system. Furthermore, the package provides the tools to maximize marketing efforts and customer service.

About HickoryTech:
Since 1964, HickoryTech has offered leading software and information technology solutions to the telecommunications industry. HickoryTech distinguishes itself by serving local exchange carriers, competitive local exchange carriers, interexchange carriers, resellers, and electric utilities.

HickoryTech is a diversified communications holding company located in Mankato, Minnesota, with operations in Minnesota and Iowa. HickoryTech has completed its 103rd year of operations with its roots in the local telephone exchange business. From this base, it has expanded into wireless communications, competitive local service, long distance, Internet, information solutions and enterprise solutions. To learn more about WRITE2k® or HickoryTech, visit the company's web page at www.hickorytech.com and click on the Information Solutions button.

About Thunder Bay Telephone:
Thunder Bay Telephone was established in 1902, the year the municipalities established their own telephone exchange to compete with Bell Canada. Thunder Bay Telephone is the largest independent telecommunications operation in Canada and has pioneered new digital technology in Northwestern Ontario. Thunder Bay Telephone is owned by the City of Thunder Bay. Thunder Bay Mobility has been in business since 1990 and is a shareholder in the Mobility Canada group of cellular service providers.

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