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Qnet Communications, Inc.
Qnet provides Internet kiosks to Overseas Filipino Workers
There's no doubt about it. The Philippines benefits from its most dynamic labor force - the overseas Filipino workers (OFW's). The large income inflows from OFW's mitigated the political and economic turmoil during the 1980's and the economic recession at the onset of the current decade - earning for OFW's well-deserved recognition as the country's new breed of national heroes.
Qnet Communications, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Ajonet Holdings, Inc., a publicly listed Philippine investment holding company, has ventured into the emerging fast-paced business of Internet technology and discovered the Internet as a road to bringing homesick OFW's closer to their families back home.
Qnet is the first Philippine-based company that will deploy a network of 200 Internet kiosks worldwide to service the communication needs of nine million OFW's around the world who are in need of a more efficient, affordable, and personal way to communicate with their relatives in the Philippines.
Communication Terminals
Qnet will deploy Qnet cyberstations, communication terminals or Internet kiosks very much like a phone booth, equipped with high-speed frame relay connection to guarantee bandwidth to the Internet, ADSL, and other broadband technologies. Qnet will also develop cutting edge software for customized services in each cyberstation.
Through the kiosks, users can send email and e-greetings, engage in video conferencing, take photos, and send video mail. People wanting to do a videoconference call would have to make "reservations" at the Internet kiosks before they can do a videoconference call.
The Qnet cyberstations are strategically located in places with high-pedestrian traffic like malls. Two cyberstations are currently being deployed, which started in March 2, 2001 until May 15, 2001, in malls and call stations in Makati, Manila, Rizal, Quezon City, Batangas, and Tarlac. Three cyberstations are also being deployed in Magic Mall in Urdaneta, Pangasinan; and PLDT call mall in La Union, while five cyberstations are installed in Cebu.
"Communication is the fastest growing industry in the world today," says Cyril R. Santiago, Chairman and CEO of Qnet Communications. "Economic slow down is the major reason for the growth or increase in the number of OFW's. This means a larger market for Qnet."
Santiago stresses that in the Philippines, the strategy is to put up Internet kiosks, while in other countries, starting with Hong Kong, the set up is more of a cyber café using personal computers from Fujitsu.
Qnet has chosen Hong Kong as the pilot site overseas for deployment of ten cyberstations. Starting April this year, Santiago adds three Fujitsu Deskpower 2000 PC's are deployed at Bayanihan Town Center in Kennedy Town, while seven PC's are installed at Worldwide Plaza in Central Hong Kong. Ten cyberstations will also be deployed in Singapore by the third quarter of 2001. Other places being eyed are Taiwan, Japan, and the Middle East.
Fujitsu Partnership
On January 2001, Qnet has signed two agreements with Fujitsu Philippines, Inc. for the supply of two units of Fujitsu Primergy MS380 server, and software packages that include PIX Firewall and System Walker. On a separate agreement, FPI will also be supplying 10 Fujitsu DeskPower 2000 PC's for the company's Hong Kong operations.
One Primergy server shall be used as the main server while the other will serve as backup. The System Walker, on the other hand, shall remotely monitor, supervise, and maintain the operating status and efficiencies of each kiosk. The use of the System Walker will result in enormous efficiencies, lowering the total cost of ownership, creating open and integrated environments, and providing total solutions and a high degree of scalability to the Internet kiosk project.
Qnet cyberstation is the first Internet kiosk project that will have the capability for remote maintenance, monitoring, and trouble-shooting from a Network Operation Center (NOC) based in Pasig City.
