ETEL waking up some on news with talkcity this am.. > ZeroPlus.com from e-Net, Inc. Extends Deal with Talk City Through Year 2000; Internet Calling Brought to Over 3 Million Users
GERMANTOWN, Md., Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- e-Net, Inc.(Nasdaq: ETEL - news) -- a leader in revolutionizing the way consumers and businesses use the Internet to place and receive telephone calls -- today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, ZeroPlus.com, has extended its relationship under a new agreement with Talk City, Inc. (Nasdaq: TCTY - news). ZeroPlus.com will continue to provide free PC-to-PC calls and its enhanced fee-based services to Talk City's 3 million plus users by directing them to a special registration and download page for ZeroPlus.com's Internet Telephony software.
Under the terms of the agreement, ZeroPlus.com will be the exclusive integrated provider of Internet Telephony services for the Talk City website. In addition, ZeroPlus.com will have a fixed position that will permanently reside in Talk City's chat rooms, enabling all users of Talk City's website to sign up for ZeroPlus.com's growing list of enhanced phone services. Live chat events will also be held to update all of ZeroPlus.com's users on new features and services as they are added. According to the new agreement, which supersedes the original agreement of August 18, 1999. ZeroPlus.com will pay Talk City monthly promotional fees totaling $560,000 over a 14-month period starting with November, 1999. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
''To date, the number of Talk City members that have signed up for ZeroPlus.com's offerings has exceeded our expectations,'' said Robert A. Veschi, President and CEO of e-Net, Inc. ''I previously stated that we could not have selected a better inaugural partner than Talk City and the first several months of our relationship have made those words prophetic. We think time will continue to prove that this is an excellent opportunity for both companies. ZeroPlus.com gets continuous exposure to millions of Talk City members from ZeroPlus.com's Internet phone service and advanced fee-based features, and we expect that Talk City will reap the benefits of enhanced customer acquisition and retention.''
Talk City is a leading Internet provider of high quality online communications and interactive services for businesses and consumers. It offers businesses a wide range of services to help them develop and expand online relationships with customers, suppliers and employees. For consumers, it operates a network of online communities located at www.talkcity.com. The network includes 20 topical categories, more than 50 themed communities, 50 co-branded network participant communities and thousands of user-generated communities. Some of the Talk City network participants include Cox Interactive Media; the Hearst Corporation; the National Broadcasting Company, Inc.; WebTV Network; Excite@Home; and AT&T WorldNet.
''We have reviewed all available Internet telephone services, and ZeroPlus.com provides the best offering for our members,'' said Peter Freidman, President and CEO of Talk City. ''Since ZeroPlus.com has been offered on our site, each day hundreds of users have signed up for their services. We are excited to have extended our existing agreement and look forward to a profitable relationship.''
Mr. Veschi added, ''Our ongoing relationship with Talk City is an excellent business fit for ZeroPlus.com's goal of growing our distribution channels by marketing through our affiliates' Web sites, while at the same time advancing our e-commerce strategy.''
About e-Net and ZeroPlus.com-
e-Net, Inc. is a recognized leader in developing hardware and software technology that allows voice to be transmitted over data networks, including the Internet, IP, ATM, or Frame Relay. The company's wholly owned subsidiary, ZeroPlus.com, provides consumers with their own permanent Internet telephone number and specialized software that enables them to place and receive phone calls anytime, anywhere via their computers -- completely free of charge. The revolutionary aspect of this service is that domestic Internet calls are made by dialing ''0'' plus a 10-digit number and international calls by dialing ''00'' plus the number, very similar to the way people make calls on a traditional phone network. To begin using this new service, consumers first register on- line at www.ZeroPlus.com, select their permanent Internet phone number and download e-Net's free software. With three simple steps, consumers can place and receive free calls over the Internet, PC to PC. The new, free instant messaging capabilities expand the ZeroPlus.com portfolio of services, which also includes call hold, caller ID and speed dial at no charge. e-Net also recently announced that ZeroPlus.com can deliver free phone calls that travel ''off'' the Internet to 800, 888, and 877 area codes across the nation and around the world.
SOURCE: e-Net, Inc.
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