Free Instant Messaging Technology Added to e-Net's Free Internet Phone Service, ZeroPlus.com - Company Business and Marketing

Cambridge Telcom Report, Nov 1, 1999

e-Net, Inc., a leader in revolutionizing the way consumers and businesses can use the Internet to place and receive telephone calls -- has announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, ZeroPlus.com, now has the capability to provide free instant messaging-style services for both the consumer and business market alike.

From a consumer standpoint, the new "online notification" service will allow ZeroPlus.com members to establish a list of -- and talk online to -- those people they call most frequently. That grouping, known as a "ZP Pals" list, is automatically updated to reflect whether a member is online and if he or she has the Zeroplus.com software running -- much like AOL's "Buddy List," which is used for notifying members if people within their messaging circle are on or offline. In the instance of ZeroPlus.com, a name on the dialer will turn green if a ZP Pal is online, and red if not. At that point, making a call to a ZP Pal requires a simple click of the mouse or computer keystroke to link up with an online pal. e-Net anticipates that in the very near future, ZeroPlus.com will add the capability for consumers to enter into a real-time, multi-party text chat conversation.

e-Net further anticipates this same technology will have a strong appeal in the business market. The new ZeroPlus.com instant messaging capability can ultimately be employed by companies conducting business online to capture both a live voice recording and a text confirmation from a consumer at the precise time of sale. In that way, the e-commerce enterprise can instantly verify a purchase without the customer having to log-off the Internet and then re-dial the company to complete the transaction. It is a seamless approach for the business world that conveniently enables online consumers to surf and shop on a single dial-up phone connection.

"By continuing to advance technology that simplifies the way consumers and businesses interact online, e-Net is taking a leadership role in the delivery of new and powerful Internet applications for real-world commerce and communications services," said Robert A. Veschi, President and CEO of e-Net, Inc. "Our instant messaging strategy brings ZeroPlus.com one step closer to revolutionizing the transaction side of Internet business."

Continued Mr. Veschi, "Once instant messaging is fully deployed by ZeroPlus.com, businesses will be able to use it to create documentation for recording transactions and even employ digital signature technology to complete them. We believe this netcentric business model will be of significant value to e-commerce companies seeking to improve both sales completion rates and customer satisfaction."

Added Howard Schechter, CEO and President of PenOp, Inc., a global leader in providing legally binding, e-signature solutions, "Combining digital signature technology with ZeroPlus.com's near term offerings could present an opportunity for businesses and customers to execute legally binding e-business transactions via the Internet in one step. We anticipate this will have great potential for enhancing and streamlining a process that is so often slowed down by the need to use paper in what has become an e-business environment." *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.