New step for Option and Telenet in roll-out of “always on” products
LEUVEN, Belgium – March 26 2007 – Telenet Solutions is today launching the Telenet Mobile Data Card. This data card solution was developed in co-operation with Option (Euronext: OPTI; OTC: OPNVY) and provides wireless access to the Telenet mobile data network for LAN, Hotspot and mobile networks.
Seamless transfer
The Telenet Mobile Data Card is the first mobile data card in the European Union that guarantees a seamless transfer from a Telenet Hotspot network to the Telenet MVNO (Data) network and vice versa without the session being interrupted.
This unique feature is thanks to the software that Option supplies under the name of GlobeTrotter Unlimited Connection and that has been further refined and adapted for Telenet Solutions. Using this special Unlimited Connection software, the card always uses the best available access technology (Telenet Hotspot, HDSPA, UMTS, Edge, GPRS) at every location in Belgium and Telenet Hotspot locations in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. A mobile IP agent on the Telenet network manages the IP addresses and ensures that the end user always has a connection with the Internet via the best available access technology.
The software on the card allows it to be configured in such a way that it can also detect the Telenet wireless installation in the office or at home and transfer seamlessly to this Internet connection.
“We are extremely pleased to see that a really innovative solution for the mobile user can be realised as a first within the European Union – in Belgium, and by 2 Flemish companies. Telenet, as an MVNO and Hotspot operator, clearly sees the added value of our Unlimited Connection solution for mobile users. In the mobile world of tomorrow, getting and maintaining access anytime, anywhere, will be increasingly important.”
“We are pleased that Option has co-operated with us in creating tailor-made software for this Telenet Solutions product. With the seamless transfer between different networks, we are relieving the frustrations of the users, and the solution is unique in the market at the moment. We are therefore proud that two Flemish companies have been able to develop this together”, says Hugo Lemmens, Executive Vice President of Telenet Solutions. At the same time, Lemmens adds that Telenet Solutions is aiming this product mainly at professionals, the logistics and the retail sectors, as well as at Belgian SMEs who make much use of representatives on the road.
4 Subscription formulas
The complete package, with a recommended retail price of €300, is sold via Hostbasket. There are 4 subscription packages available:
Monthly subscription: € 20
Download limit via HotSpots: 10 GB
Download limit via Telenet MVNO GSM network: 5 MB
Supplement for extra capacity: 1.5 €/MB
Monthly subscription: € 30
Download limit via HotSpots: 15 GB
Download limit via Telenet MVNO GSM network: 10 MB
Supplement for extra capacity: 1.25 €/MB
Monthly subscription: € 40
Download limit via HotSpots: 20 GB
Download limit via Telenet MVNO GSM network: 20 MB
Supplement for extra capacity: 1 €/MB
Monthly subscription: € 70
Download limit via HotSpots: 35 GB
Download limit via Telenet MVNO GSM network: 200 MB
Supplement for extra capacity: 0.75 €/MB
Customers can request a detailed invoice at any time (although not “live”) to check whether they have reached their download limit. For any problems, the helpdesk numbers 070/25 00 30 (B) or +352 27 27 27 26 (Lux) are available 24 hours a day for customers. For further information concerning the Telenet Mobile Data Card, customers can call 02/300.SPOT (02/3007768).
About Telenet
Telenet is Belgium’s largest supplier of broadband cable services. Telenet focuses on delivering cable television, high-speed internet and telephony services to primarily residential customers in Flanders. Under the brand name Telenet Solutions it also delivers services to companies in Belgium and Luxembourg. Telenet is listed on the Euronext Brussels Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol TNET. More information : www.telenet.be
About Option (EURONEXT: OPTI; OTC: OPNVY) Option, the wireless technology company, is a leading innovator in the design, development and manufacture of 3G WCDMA (HSPA and UMTS), EDGE, GPRS, GSM and WLAN technology products for wireless connectivity solutions. Option has built up an enviable reputation for creating exciting products that enhance the performance and functionality of wireless communications. Option’s headquarters are in Leuven, Belgium. The company has Research & Development in Leuven, a Software and Applications development centre in Adelsried (Germany), a Wireless Router development centre in Stockholm (Sweden), an ISO 9002 production engineering and logistics facility in Cork, Ireland. Option also has sales & support operations in the US, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan. For more information please visit www.option.com.
Note for the editor: Today the existing network in Belgium consists on the one hand of 1300 Telenet Hotspots and on the other hand of the GSM network of Mobistar.
For more information, contact
Douglas Ros, Vice President Business Development Option Tel +32 (0)16 317 411
E-mail: d.ros@option.com
Frederic Convent, CFO Option Tel + 32 (0) 16 317 471
E-mail: investor@option.com
Stefan Coenjaerts, Spokesman Telenet Tel: +32 (0) 15 33 50 06, GSM: +32 (0) 499 57 76 47
E-mail: stefan.coenjaerts@staff.telenet.be