News

Vianet kiosks feature video e-mail

March 18, 2002

DALLAS - Vianet Technologies Inc. (OTCBB:VNTK), and Ontario-based Video-Tel Inc., signed an agreement to jointly market video conferencing software and video messaging software to be used in kiosks.

Plano, Taxes-based Vianet Technologies makes video compression software, called Video Interactive, and Video-Tel markets video payphones.

A news release issued by Vianet Technologies stated that the two companies will use their products for video postcards and video conferencing. Video-Tel will use Vianet's video compression software on its own video payphones as well as distributing it to machines deployed by other Internet kiosk companies.

According to the release, the payphone-style Internet kiosks will appear at venues such as tourist attractions, malls, airports and sporting events. Video-Tel plans to use existing kiosks as a platform. It will also install its kiosk video system free to any Internet kiosk company that signs an agreement by January 1, 2002.

Video-Tel's payphone-style Internet kiosks will enable kiosk companies to provide video e-mail (a video post card consisting of a 30-second advertising message from the kiosk location plus a 20-second personal message from the sender), streaming video for training, advertising, or entertainment, shopping after hours in hotels or airports, video conferencing, IP telephony (making phone calls over the internet), and the Vianet application for purchase.