BUSINESS SCOPE
Q-Net
Technologies, Inc., ("Q-Net" or the "Company"), is a publicly
traded holding company (OTC BB: QNTI / Frankfurt BB: QNO). The company
was formed as a vehicle to introduce consumer technology and value
added Internet services into the Chinese market.
The
company has two operating divisions:
- Liaoning
Qinnet E-Book Technologies Co., Ltd. is a joint venture with
Liaoning Publishing Group ("LPG"), one of the largest and most
respected publishers in China. It is responsible for introducing
the "Q-Reader" and additional "electronic publishing" technologies
into China. The size of a novel, the Q-Reader is an electronic
device that downloads, stores and displays published materials
from the Internet as well as from the company's proprietary e-Book
content web site.
This device also features full Internet, e-mail and personal digital
assistant (PDA) capabilities. This division is also responsible
for the delivery and sales of the e-content material, or e-Books.
- Beijing
Qinnet Electronic Technologies Co., Ltd. has developed and
is introducing Thin Client Server Technology ("TCS"). This technology
offers a low cost PC solution in countries that are not proliferated
with desktop or laptop computers. The system is proprietary and
offers full computer services without the cost of rapidly obsolete
hardware, larger servers and attendant support requirements. This
division has also developed and introduced Q-Net Web Solutions
("QWS"). This is proprietary modular software designed for small
and medium sized companies to create their own web presence at
a fraction of the current cost. China has in excess of 7 million
small to medium sized companies. QWS has been created as a "One
Stop Web Solution Shop" for this market.
LIAONING
QINNET - Electronic Publishing.
Liaoning
Qinnet E-Book Technologies, Ltd. (LQ) is a joint venture (70
to Q-Net) with Liaoning Publishing Group ("LPG"), one of the
largest and most respected publishers in China and the first
to be managed independently of central government control.
Headquartered in Shenyang, a major industrial city in northeast
China, LQ has developed a strong management and production
base for the design and manufacture of electronic publishing
hardware and content. An independent company assembles the
Q-Reader under contract. The product is being distributed
nationally through established sales channels including thousands
of LPG outlets. The content (e-books) is provided through
the company's website. Payment for the content is made through
pre-paid debit cards. Additionally, the company designed the
Q-Reader to comport with standards established by the central
government for a 5-year program introducing students nationally
to interactive and electronic educational resources. It is
anticipated that Q-Readers will be sold in volume to the Chinese
Educational system pursuant to this program.
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The
Q-Reader is a hand-held device capable of receiving, storing
and displaying a large number of electronic files from the
Internet. Directed to the educational, professional and research
markets, the device features complete Internet, email and
Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) capabilities. Each of the
downloaded "e-Book" files contains an "electronic book," such
as a novel, a textbook, technical treatise, scientific journal,
a periodical, dictionary or an entire newspaper. With 32 MB
of memory, the Q-Reader can store the equivalent of 20-30
books each from 200-300 pages long, based upon the size of
the published material. Each can be erased after use or maintained
for long-term reference depending upon the owner's preference
and the source of material.
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The
device features adjustable character sizes, enabling use by those
with vision difficulties. A student can download an entire semester
of textbooks into the Q-Reader. With diverse applications, a medical
researcher can obtain the latest published research report on a
particular subject. A lawyer can download legal texts and a physicist
can obtain up to date articles from the most recent journals. The
Q-Reader also contains a unique student "study outline" feature
and will be delivered with a complete Chinese and Chinese-English
dictionary, historical and geographic information, entertainment
programs, as well as a $300 US credit to download publications from
major publishers in China.
The
Q-Reader was introduced to the market at the International Publishing
Show in Beijing in January of 2002, and also at the International
Technology show in Beijing in May with great success. Over 24,000
units were pre-ordered by national distributors within China. Notably
these orders were placed during only 3 days at the exhibition. The
joint venture partner, LPG, will also distribute the Q-Reader through
its large retail outlet base of over 1000 stores throughout China.
The
Q-Reader is expected to retail in the $400 US range. Current production
run of 100 units for test marketing has been completed on schedule.
Second production run of 1,000 units for wholesale delivery scheduled
to begin early October 2002. The first commercial production run
of 5000 units is committed for the end of this year. First full
year of production is expected to be 60,000 units for 2003. The
content is available through the Q-Reader website www.cnbook.com.cn.
Currently there are over 2000 tittles available with more being
added each day, as well as from other sources available on the Internet.
This content will be provided by some of the largest publishers
in China and from other sources internationally. At present the
average cost of e-Book content is approximately $1, a fraction of
the cost of printed texts.
The
Student Model is a second-generation product in development.
It is designed to be less expensive than the Q-Reader and selling
for under $200. This model is targeted to the mass market of education,
particularly with secondary school, college and graduate school
applications. The device will utilize a wireless technology environment
specifically created for an interactive classroom and campus environment,
allowing the student to access the capacity of a classroom, school
or campus wide server for a cost far less than a laptop or a PC.
Each unit will accept the attachment of a keyboard, mouse, and network
connections. Students may download material from the school server
or interface with a server in the classroom and take the book sized
unit home for further use. Rough prototype testing is currently
under way and it is anticipated that the student model will be available
by the middle of 2003.
As
noted, in addition to the electronic book capacity, the Q-Reader
provides complete Internet access in the smallest device yet developed
while providing standard Internet sized text and illustrations.
The Q-Reader also features e-mail capabilities, both sending and
receiving, and Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) functions including
calendars, scheduling, names, address, telephone and other data.
BEIJING
QINNET TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Beijing
Qinnet Technologies Co., Ltd, based in Beijing, is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Q-Net Technologies, Inc., and serves as the corporate
headquarters for overall Chinese operations. The operations of Q-Net
are being managed in China by talented local management and are
consolidated under Q-Net, the holding company based in the United
States. BQ has developed two proprietary product lines: Q-Net
Web Solutions ("QWS") and Thin Client Server ("TCS")
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A
Chinese government survey accepts that Chinese enterprises have
embraced and acknowledged the power of the web. However, it outlines
two major areas of concern for the small to medium sized business
owner:
1)
Poor quality and website construction
2) Cost and site management
Q-Net
Web Solutions ("QWS") has designed proprietary modular software
allowing the estimated 8.6 million companies in this category to
construct and maintain a professional web presence without the expense
of in-house web staff. This series of modules will serve the needs
of small and medium sized businesses that may not have the resources
to develop, operate and maintain their own sites. This QWS software
is distributed and sold throughout China under the Qinnet brand
name. Services offered by this business unit also include the value
added Internet services of web hosting, design and construction.
It has been created as a "One Stop Web Solution Shop". Currently
it is estimated that there is less than 5% of small to medium sized
businesses with an online presence.
The
anticipated average cost for web presence and maintenance is expected
to be approximately $400 US per annum. The software has been completed
and is under going test sales in Beijing with revenues from this
unit expected to be booked in the fourth quarter of 2002. The company
can and will provide a more sophisticated web solution on a consulting
basis to those clients that seek a more customized approach to their
web presence. The objective is to establish a mass of customer base
to secure a significant share in the market. The market presence
of QWS will also help management advance the marketing development
for the company's other products and services.
Q-Net
Thin Client Server ("TCS") technology provides small and medium
sized businesses and individual customers with economically priced
access to computer capabilities previously available only to large
corporations with sophisticated and expensive computer resources.
With the installation of a relatively inexpensive terminal consisting
of a screen, keyboard and mouse, a customer will be connected to
a server through the local area network (LAN) provided by Q-Net.
Alternatively, a customer will be connected via broadband through
a wide area network (WAN) to a geographically based control center
administered and maintained by Q-Net. For a monthly charge, significantly
below the cost of maintaining a conventional system, the customer
is provided with Internet access, software applications, upgrades
and new technology, all without the cost of expensive periodic expenditures
to upgrade obsolete equipment or the need to maintain internal Information
Technology services. The system removes the need to periodically
upgrade or replace old or obsolete terminals and software, the need
to employ an in-house computer staff to maintain and monitor the
hardware and software systems, the need to periodically upgrade
or replace costly servers and the need to download new software
and pay attendant licensing fees.
Terminal
Development / Server Configurations
Q-Net
has developed the TCS System and proprietary Q-Net TCS terminal
product based on both the Citrix and Microsoft server platforms.
By developing its own advanced terminal, the margins generated by
the division are much more competitive than through the resale of
conventional terminals manufactured by other vendors. The company
anticipates a 50% savings on the terminal cost and this advantage
gives Q-Net a significant market opportunity. Terminal production
is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2002. The company
will offer several different terminal models, from basic low cost
models to higher end terminals featuring smart card readers and
integrated VoIP capabilities for many different user bases and applications.
The company will initially offer hardwired capabilities, with wireless
systems available in 2003.
Q-Net
will utilize its relationships within the telecommunications industry
to distribute and install TCS systems in geographic areas that are
currently wired with broadband access. Q-Net has established a relationship
with China NetCom (CNC), one of China's largest telecom companies.
It is anticipated that CNC will provide Q-Net with access to its
customer base, with an initial market of 300,000 residential and
2,000 commercial customers. CNC expects the Beijing market to expand
rapidly as their corporate plan includes an accelerated focus on
Broad Band expansion throughout the country. CNC has expressed a
high level of interest in bringing the TCS system to other markets
in major cites throughout China. At the same time, to avoid reliance
on a single large distribution partner, Q-Net is developing additional
relationships with other cable operators and telecom companies with
similar customer bases. Terminal boards for the TCS system will
range in price from $150 - $200 US. Hardware upgrading is limited
to the terminal board and cosmetics e.g. type of monitor, flat,
plasma or TV screen and functionality of terminal board, high end
or basic. Testing is currently underway and sales are expected to
begin in the later part of Q4 2002.
With
the competitive pricing structure and substantial range of services
offered by the TCS, Q-Net anticipates wide acceptance of the TCS
product in the commercial, academic and residential markets. Current
projects are proceeding or are anticipated for university, business,
residential and hotel installations. Q-Net is installing its pilot
system in Beijing to serve as its demonstration facility for customers.
Future demonstration sites will be located in other cities as required.
While sales will begin initially in Beijing, subsequent growth will
open additional markets in other major cites.
The
Market
China has been recognized as the most rapidly growing economy in
the world. With a growth rate during the last year exceeding 7%,
it has far outpaced the 1.5% growth of the US economy as well as
those of the other western post-industrial markets. Much of this
growth has been generated in the Chinese telecommunications and
information sectors, which have also been identified as the fastest
growing in the world. Last November, the country was approved for
membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Already large,
state owned industries have been privatized, including the previously
government controlled telecommunications monopoly, China Telecom,
and the breakup of these entities has had a demonstrated impact
on the private sector. Reflecting the increased exposure to western
trade and commerce, China's Internet market has seen dramatic growth
in recent years. In 1998 there were less than 700,000 Internet users;
as of June 30, 2001 there were over 27 million users and the current
number has been reported at over 30 million users. This growth trend
is expected to continue for several years at a rapid pace and these
conditions provide Q-Net with the opportunity to grow in many areas.
Through its established operations, Q-Net has gained market recognition
and currently has offices in Beijing, where Beijing Qinnet is headquartered
and Shenyang, where Liaoning Qinnet E-Book Technologies Ltd is located
in conjunction with our JV partner, Liaoning Publishing Group.
As
Q-Net's business units mature, additional business opportunities
are being identified and developed by the established expertise
and resources of the Company. Q-Net will address opportunities that
can be consolidated as "add-ons" to the existing operations, which
will produce, expected levels of revenues and profitability within
reasonable time frames while creating the opportunity to capture
large market share. Internet based technology is relatively new
in the Chinese market and its commercial development is 2 to 3 years
behind the rest of the modern world. Many opportunities for growth
and expansion are still available in many niche markets in China,
the most populous and rapidly developing consumer and industrial
market in the world. Q-Net has assembled an energetic and aggressive
management team in China to accomplish this task and is confident
that its efforts will build a solid business enterprise designed
for long-term growth in this exciting and clearly growing market.
Q-Net will utilize its North American management team to guide the
Chinese business units and provide the necessary capital to finance
and grow as appropriate opportunities are developed.
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