| Midvale - 04.23.2001 - Phonex Corporation, the Utah-based world leader of
Power Line Carrier (PLC) voice and data communication devices, announced today that it expects shipments of its
Wireless Modem and Phone Jack systems to reach seven million nodes by mid 2001. Continued acceptance of the only
available technology that transmits voice and data signals reliably over home electrical wiring has put Phonex
Broadband squarely at the head of the home powerline industry.
Commenting on reaching the seven million mark, Phonex CEO John Knab said, "The significance of reaching this major
milestone can only be fully realized by examining the struggle that other home powerline industry players have had
trying to ship their first units. While companies promising high-speed technologies have labored to develop viable
networking solutions across home power lines, installations of the Phonex narrowband products, which have been used
by consumers for over a decade, continue to increase every year," said Knab. "Not only does Phonex technology offer
a reliable way to create instant telephone connections wherever there is a 110-volt electrical outlet, but has also
set the stage for the upcoming release of the company's ultra high-speed 14 Mbit powerline solutions as well."
The proliferation of applications requiring connection to a telephone outlet has fueled the surge in Wireless Modem
and Phone Jack installations and has caused the emerging powerline market to grow. "The convergence of a wide variety
of technologies within the home needing a telephone connection has spurred many new players to jump into this new
powerline industry," said Knab. "But all of these players continue to struggle with the idiosyncrasies of this
sometimes unpredictable powerline medium - Phonex is the only company that has broad engineering experience with this
method of networking communication."
The growth in shipping volume for wireless phone jack products can also be attributed to the number of ways that
Phonex Corporation devices are being used to rapidly deploy the latest home technologies requiring a simple method
of installation. Such technologies include interactive TV and set-top box applications for cable and satellite TV.
"Many of our OEM customers' biggest challenge is dealing with the wiring infrastructure within the home during
installation of their technology offerings," explained Knab. "Phonex Wireless Modem Jacks provide an alternative
that has drastically reduced the time required to install these latest technology products," Knab said.
In addition to the number of Wireless Modem and Phone Jack units being sold in the U.S., recent acceptance of the
Phonex technology by major telecom advisory boards in Europe is taking the product into new world markets. Phonex
announced this month that EasyJack™, the European counterpart of the U.S. Wireless Modem Jack™ has met
the requirements for pan European distribution. The product is already available in the U.K. and Italy, is expected
to ship in Spain by June of 2001, and is available for purchase throughout all of Australia. Phonex is working to
penetrate consumer markets in Germany and Holland as well with plans to ship EasyJack in these two countries later
this year.
For more information regarding Phonex Corporation and its products please contact:
public@phonex.com
6952 High Tech Drive
Midvale, UT 84047-3756
800.437.0101
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