NetNearU has been developing innovative software platforms that enable our customers to deploy public Internet access terminals for over five years. Today, the company has thousands of software license agreements in place that have enabled our customers to deploy terminals around the world. This experience enables NetNearU to offer an innovative solution that combines the strength of terminals with the flexibility of wireless technology.

Many end users may not have their laptop or PDA with them when they visit a wireless hotspot. Therefore, when they arrive in a hotspot and learn of the public internet access, they may want to access the internet to check their email, surf the web, etc. Because of this, it is advisable to provide stationary kiosks/terminals in the hotspot. These terminals are provided in conjunction with wireless access.

Deploying a wireless internet terminal is very easy and cost effective. These terminals consist of a personal computer and can cost as little as $500 for a standard personal computer to as much as $1200 for a state of the art machine with an elegant flat screen monitor. It is highly advisable to include a wireless LAN card in the terminal. With a wireless LAN card, the terminal connects to the internet via a wireless connection and can be placed in virtually any location in the facility. There is no need to run any expensive telecommunications wiring and the terminal’s location can be moved at will. The customer experience is identical accessing the internet from their own laptop or PDA. They have the option of entering their credit card number for pay-per-use access or signing up for a monthly subscription.

NetNearU has several successful network operators that have deployed wireless terminals and have had great success as a result. The terminals act as a very effective advertising venue. They contain signage and generate interest with customers, who are continually asking the location owners, “what is that computer for?” Customers will generally use the terminals as an introduction to the wireless service and then purchase a prepaid card to bring their laptop with them next time they visit the location. At this point, revenue at locations with terminals is split about 50/50 with laptop usage. As time moves on, NetNearU believes that wireless will grow more quickly than terminal use as a percentage of total hotspot revenue. This is as a result of the continued maturing of the Wi-Fi market. In the meantime, wireless terminals are a great way to generate awareness and revenue at hotspot locations.

Because of NetNearU’s strength in public access kiosks and terminals, NNU can provide a simple, robust solution that the competition cannot match. NetNearU’s proven software application, NNU Runtime Engine, “locks-down” the terminal to prevent unauthorized access to the vital computer software or operating system. This feature greatly reduces support costs because customers cannot inadvertently (or maliciously) delete important system files. The system health of the terminal can be monitored through the TRACKOS management and reporting system. TRACKOS constantly monitors the health of the terminal and reports any problems that exist, real time. This ensures that the terminal is always “on-line” and available to generate revenue.

NetNearU also offers another revenue opportunity with ADTRACKOS. ADTRACKOS is used to manage advertising content. Using ADTRACKOS, customers can upload advertising content that rotates on the kiosk/terminal and track its effectiveness. Advertising content is a valuable source of revenue for the location; and provides a key venue to communicate messages to the customer base.

The wireless terminal does not have to be anything more than a low-cost personal computer. It should have at least a 750MHz processor, 1GB Hard Drive, 128 MB of RAM, Windows XP or 2000 and a wireless LAN card, supporting 802.11b. This configuration can be easily configured with all major manufacturers, including Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Gateway. Contact your NetNearU sales person for more information.