The PowerPhone Network Limited (PPNL) today announces a new deal with Leisureplanet.com, the online travel services company dedicated to delivering the ultimate leisure travel experience, bringing Leisureplanet.com’s services to users of the PowerPhone, PPNL’s network of online public payphones.

Leisureplanet.com offers localised travel services to its customers around the world and a comprehensive choice of products and services tailored to the traveller’s needs. The announcement adds a comprehensive leisure travel service to the PowerPhone’s own information rich content, and marks the first step in Leisureplanet.com’s strategy of distributing its services to platforms beyond the Web. Through the new alliance, Leisureplanet.com’s travellers will access 24-hour customer service while they are travelling at airports, rail stations, hotels and bus networks. The service will be extended to cover all of Leisureplanet.com’s leisure travel services and content.

The PowerPhone offers its users access to the Internet, email, telephony and local information services via the 12-inch touch screen of a public payphone. PPNL has over 2,000 - owned or operated - PowerPhones installed worldwide. The company has existing content deals with leading providers such as CNN.

PPNL will roll out a speed dial option, from May 2000, on PowerPhone in the United States and Hong Kong which will provide users with toll-free access to Leisureplanet.com customer service. As the first public access provider for Leisureplanet.com, the agreement represents a further step in Leisureplanet’s strategy to distribute localised leisure travel to customers around the world.

“The addition of PowerPhone to our growing network of distribution alliances confirms the multi-platform dimension to Leisureplanet.com’s global distribution objective,” said Pierre Kleinhans, chief executive officer of Leisureplanet.com.

Sarah Cheung, chief operating officer of PowerPhone, said, “Our aim is to create the total communications tool for travellers and locals in a public setting. By partnering with Leisureplant.com, we bring a world-class information and comprehensive reservations service to PowerPhone’s users. We are working with Leisureplanet.com to enable travellers in future to organise and book an international journey or holiday. The PowerPhone will then enable its users to book a holiday, send an e-mail to friends, check the destinations’ weather and read the latest news, all via one outlet - the PowerPhone.”

PPNL is the world-leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of the PowerPhone; winner of the 1999 FT Global Telecom’s Most Innovative Fixed Product award. The company was founded in 1995 to develop its interactive multimedia payphone system. As a total solution provider, PPNL offers hardware, software, multimedia content, network operations, support services, and customised applications.

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