MagiNet and Lucent Technologies Form Alliance to introduce Broadband Wireless Internet Connectivity, enabling Internet Anywhere

The combination of MagiNet Laptop Connect (MLC) Broadband WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) and Lucent's ORiNOCO™ suite of products enable international business travelers to benefit from a powerful, high-speed, "plug-and-play" and "always on" network solution. The service will be available in public spaces, including airports, convention centers, and anywhere in a hotel, including the guest room, meeting and conference spaces, the lobby, lounge, even poolside for all those mobile business professionals equipped with 802.11b-compliant PC cards.

Powered by Lucent's ORiNOCO PC cards, Access Points and Range Extender Antennas, MLC Broadband WLAN will provide Internet access at up to 11Mbps, about 200 times faster than dial-up connectivity services and comparable to corporate wired networks.

Business travelers using Lucent's ORiNOCO Wireless PC Cards and MLC Broadband WLAN will enjoy:

• high-speed data transmission for large files;
• mobility-based productivity increases;
• a standards-based solution supported by major PC and networking vendors;
• the ability to use standard laptops, browsers and applications;
• tighter security than with traditional wired networks through the "wired equivalent privacy" (WEP) encryption algorithms and military-invented spread-spectrum radio transmission techniques; and
• ease of use.

"We are very excited to be working closely with Lucent," Harri Makela, MagiNet's chief technical officer and vice president of Emerging Technologies. "Their leadership and proven excellence in the wireless communications arena, coupled with MagiNet's first-to-market experience in laptop connectivity, ensure a seamless and robust wireless Internet connection to those who need it most: the corporate road warrior, in and out of airports, and anywhere in the hotel."

"Furthering our success with the ORiNOCO suite of products at Changi Airport, Singapore," Ronald P.M. Schepers, Marketing Director of Global Commercial Markets for Lucent Technologies added, "We are extremely pleased to now be able to offer the same powerful wireless capabilities to business travelers in Asia Pacific and beyond. The concept of 'Internet Anywhere' with ORiNOCO and MLC Broadband WLAN is now a reality."

MagiNet Corp is the largest and leading technology provider in Asia Pacific for Internet and Wireless solutions to the hospitality and travel trades. Its installed base is comprised of top class 4 and 5-star hotels, encompassing over 100,000 rooms in 292 hotels in 64 cities in 13 countries. Headquartered in Hong Kong, MagiNet is represented via subsidiaries in Australia, Israel, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Taiwan and Thailand, and through distributor partners in Guam, India, Saipan and the U.K. MagiNet's Internet portal for travelers and its corporate web site can be found at www.maginet.net

Lucent Technologies is a global leader in wireless data communications, with installations in more than 50 countries, and is a proven leader in meeting the networking challenges of the enterprise and ISP markets. Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, designs and delivers the systems, software, silicon and services for next-generation communications networks for service providers and enterprises. Backed by the research and development of Bell Labs, Lucent focuses on high-growth areas such as optical and wireless networks; Internet infrastructure; communications software; communications semiconductors and optoelectronics; Web-based enterprise solutions that link private and public networks; and professional network design and consulting services. For more information on Lucent Technologies, visit its Web site at www.lucent.com