PLACENTIA, Calif.--ZyXEL Communications Inc., the world's leading router manufacturer (Gartner Dataquest, July 2001) today announced that it has reached a partnership agreement with Viator Networks, a manufacturer and provider for hospitality, commercial offices, multiple-dwelling, multiple-tenant units and residential markets. Viator Networks, who has recently partnered with worldwide lodging franchiser, Choice Hotels International to become the endorsed vendor to its 3,300 domestic properties, will be using the ZyXEL PES-1014 to service Choice Hotels' HPNA needs.

With 14 1Mbps phoneline networking ports, the PES-1014 is ideal for delivering affordable high-speed Internet access to guest rooms over existing copper wires. Designed for the MxU environment and ideal for MHU installation, the PES-1014 is installed into the telephone room at the point of leased line connection from which Internet access is distributed to the users. The administrator can then either manage the unit remotely or through a console port, giving the administrator complete control over user access.

On choosing ZyXEL's HPNA products, Todd Landfried, president and chief executive officer of Viator Networks said, "HPNA is the natural choice for smaller hospitality properties when low costs, simplicity of setup and moderate bandwidth are the primary requirements. We tested ZyXEL products and were impressed by their excellent performance record and the fact that their version of HPNA is switched.

"Integration of the ZyXEL products into our Egress(TM) Server was seamless, which translates into lower installation and hardware costs. We are confident in both the robustness and performance of ZyXEL's COE equipment."

ZyXEL manufactures a full line of MxU products capable of meeting the needs of any property, from high bandwidth VDSL applications, ideal for applications such as online gaming, distance learning and video conferencing, to ADSL products that have the range and bandwidth for larger properties and HPNA products which are ideal for smaller hospitality properties that might be more price sensitive.

Additionally, ZyXEL's HPNA products are industry leaders and some of the only HPNA products on the market with integrated RFC-1493 and VLAN Tagging, both of which are network management features. This allows the HPNA product to work with a billing solution, such as Viator's Egress product, to bill according to guest Internet usage as opposed to a flat rate.

"This is a valuable partnership for ZyXEL, because by coupling innovative products such as Viator's Egress products with our MxU line of products featuring RFC-1493 and VLAN Tagging, ZyXEL can offer an ideal solution for the hospitality industry," said Munira Brooks, vice president of sales and marketing with ZyXEL.

ZyXEL's MxU products are available through distributors, VARs, resellers, or by contacting ZyXEL Broadband Building Solutions Group at [email protected] or 800/255-4101.

About ZyXEL

Taiwan-based ZyXEL Communications, with U.S. headquarters in Placentia, is one of the world's foremost suppliers of broadband networking, Internet connectivity and routing products.

Ranked as the world's leading DSL router provider by Gartner Dataquest, ZyXEL is focused on developing xDSL, cable access, VoDSL, VoIP and broadband-sharing and wireless solutions for a large target audience including telcos, cable operators, ISPs, small- to medium-sized businesses, SOHO and institutional and hospitality MxU (multi-tenant unit/multi-dwelling unit) markets.

ZyXEL also manufactures the highly successful ZyWALL family of security solution products for individual to enterprise users. Some of ZyXEL's largest customers include: Sprint, Time Warner, Earthlink, Chunghwa Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, Telefonica Brazil, Telia, Verizon and many others.

For more information on ZyXEL Communications and its broadband solutions, visit the company's Web site at .

About Viator

Viator Networks is a leading manufacturer of Internet access management servers, software and network connectivity devices, and related services.

Viator's Egress(TM) Server, powered by Dell(TM), is the lowest cost, full-service Internet access management server available. The award-winning Egress(TM) Port enables 100 percent of computer users to access a high-speed network, regardless of whether the computer has an Ethernet card or not. The company's products make it easy for property owners or managers to offer free or fee-based high-speed Internet services without using high-cost hardware and high levels of technical support required by other solutions.

Viator customers are leading service providers and property owners and hotel chains, worldwide. The company was recently selected as a Choice Hotels International Endorsed Vendor for that company's 3,300 domestic flagged properties.

For more information on Viator Networks products, visit the company's Web site at www.viatornetworks.com or call toll free 866/464-2867.

Roger Simpson
480/964-8061 #1
Viator Networks, Inc.