President, David Lucatch, Releases Statement Regarding Latest European Deal
ONCE YOU'VE READ THE HEADLINES, COME TO AGORA FOR THE NEWS
Good afternoon to you all. Please find enclosed the comments of Valu-net (VNE.ASE) President, David Lucatch. All of you should find the commentary to be very clear, concise and evidence that VNE is forging a meaningful place in the E-Commerce industry.
Secondly, please find enclosed a report of the Gartner Group, a well respected analyst group which studies different industries, in which they make the following two statements:
1] By 2003, the Internet will become the predominant mechanism for conducting business; and
2] Consumers will pay subscriptions or pay-per-view fees for differentiated content, Smith said. Publishers will align themselves with portal sites -- which are all-purpose Web pages from which users can get onto the Internet as well as take advantage of functions such as e-mail, online shopping, and chat groups.
For those of you interested in E-Commerce, these two comments provide an interesting context in which to analyze the viability of the Valu-net plan. For those of you less familiar with E-Commerce, the Gartner Group report will provide interesting reading and a general frame work from which to build an understanding.
That is all for now. Have a great day.
Regards,
Agora.
___________________________________________________________________
COMMENTS FROM VNE PRESIDENT - DAVID LUCATCH
Valu-net has announced a break through program with the BK Group of Europe.
The BK Group is a multinational organization focussing on
telecommunications, media, banking and insurance. They have branch offices
worldwide and own several European Banks, and have relationships with other
Banks globally.
Valu-net is providing a host of proprietary products including our Microsoft
and NCR Certified CPAC system for the facilitation of credit card
authorization and payment in Europe. Valu-net will share in all revenue
generated by the Banking Institution and Credit Card Processing Centres.
This is significant as programs in North America usually involve adding
extra fees to the merchant for processing Credit Cards over the Internet.
With the BK Group, the Merchant will not be levied with additional fees, as
Valu-net will share in the fees charged by the Banks. The BK Group will
also issue Internet Based Credit Cards for their customers to promote online
commerce.
Secondly, Valu-net will supply proprietary technology that will enable The
BK Group and its subsidiaries to develop online directories or "Yellow
Pages". Using Valu-net's Instant Home Page System, which is currently
deployed in Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia, The BK Group will develop
directories and online malls for Chambers of Commerce and other Business
Organizations in Europe.
Valu-net will also develop content rich programs for European Internet
Service Providers following the success of the launch of Web This Week. The
BK Group will work with European ISPs to deploy Valu-net Content and
Commerce Services.
These products have enormous revenue and profit potential. Firstly, the
technology is certified and ready to go. Secondly, Valu-net does not have
to incur major expenditures in Marketing and Administration. Valu-net is
paid through a 50/50 revenue sharing program and all software is maintained
and controlled in Markham, Ontario. Valu-net retains all programs, coding
and control, while sharing in the revenue generation of the programs.
Valu-net has taken a global perspective for Electronic Commerce and
Marketing Services. Although expansion is planned for the US, both
ourselves and Jupiter Communications feel strongly that the European, Asian
and Pacific Region has huge potential for Content and Commerce based
systems. As an early entry company in these regions, Valu-net has a
distinct opportunity to reap the early rewards of these markets.
Watch for further news related to this subject.
Should you wish to discuss this matter personally, please call me at
(905)474-5100 or 1-800-558-9069.
David Lucatch,
President & CEO
___________________________________________________________________
GARTNER GROUP REPORT
Internet Will Become Core Of
Business By 2003
(10/14/98 12:22 p.m. ET)
By John Gartner, TechWeb
ORLANDO, Fla. -- By 2003, the Internet will become
the predominant mechanism for conducting business --
either to consumers or between businesses, according to
a Gartner Group analyst.
"The Internet was an earthquake, and now we're dealing
with the aftershocks" said Gartner Group analyst David
Smith at the research company's IT/xpo '98 Symposium
here in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday. "We are at the beginning
of the effect of the Internet on society and electronic
commerce," he added.
The Internet will continue to become the "digital dial
tone" for consumers and business, said Smith, in a
session called "The Internet Goes Mainstream."
However, the Net will not be absorbed into other forms
of communication, he said. Through 2004, it will remain
the logical "network of networks," glued together by
TCP/IP. Eighty percent of companies will use virtual
private networks for remote access, Smith said.
Some common beliefs about the Internet -- such as
content is king --- is dead wrong, said Smith. "Content is
a commodity and can be more of a drain on organizations
than a benefit." Freely available information such as
stock quotes or news must be combined with analysis
and lead to decision-making to offer value, he said.
The hope that the Internet will create a borderless global
marketplace is also a fallacy, said Smith. Cultural and
language barriers, as well as policy differences over
encryption, security, taxation, and free speech will keep
nations separated. "The Great Firewall of China is being
built now to limit outside influences and free speech," he
said.
Java is not an open standard or a viable alternative for
Windows, Smith said. "Java will be the technology that
keeps the vendors-against-Microsoft coalition alive and
prevents total Microsoft IT domination through 2004," he
said.
Sun Microsystems' Jini initiative, which lets Java virtual
machines communicate their capabilities to one another,
will not be ready for deployment for years, according to
Smith.
Although the majority of Internet content will remain
HTML-based through 2002, Smith said XML will have
better success than Java. "Microsoft is backing XML
because it kills two birds with one stone -- it goes against
Sun and Netscape," said Smith.
Consumers will pay subscriptions or pay-per-view fees
for differentiated content, Smith said. Publishers will align
themselves with portal sites -- which are all-purpose
Web pages from which users can get onto the Internet
as well as take advantage of functions such as e-mail,
online shopping, and chat groups.
Working with portals, however, will not guarantee
companies will be known on the Internet, Smith said. A
company's Web address will continue to be the key to
Internet brand awareness, according to Stamford,
Conn.-based Gartner Group.
By 2004, most corporations will start becoming enterprise
service providers, and will begin managing Internet
access as an integral part of the company networking
strategy with both Intranet and extranet business
services, Smith said.
DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
AGORA INTERNET RELATIONS CORP. receives a monthly monetary fee from Valu-net Corporation. for the purposes of communicating with Internet shareholders - both current and prospective - to increase awareness of and interest in Valu-net Corporation. AGORA INTERNET RELATIONS CORP activities are aimed purely at keeping their clients' shareholders and prospective shareholders informed about their company. These activities consist of providing investors with previously disclosed factual information concerning the company, comments from company principals, copies of material that has been filed with regulatory authorities, comments prepared by registered brokers or investment dealers and material published in newspapers, magazines or journals.
AGORA INTERNET RELATIONS CORP does not participate in the maintenance of an orderly market in their client's securities, nor is required, or receives an incentive for, the maintenance or achievement of a price or trading volume for their client's securities at a certain level, for a specified period of time or by a certain date. AGORA INTERNET RELATIONS CORP. may, at any time, own shares in the company.
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