FNet, LibertyOne Join to Serve Down Under

FNet Corp., an Internet subsidiary of Franklin Telecom in Westlake Village, has entered into a joint venture with LibertyOne to extend voice capabilities over the Internet service to New Zealand and Australia.

“This is the first of several alliances we are forging in line with our announced strategy to help FNet move quickly and with strength into the international Internet telephony marketplace,” said James L. Magruder, FNet chief executive officer.

Terms of the agreement specify that LibertyOne, an Internet service provider and authorized carrier with ties to New Zealand Telecom, will be responsible for sales, marketing and in-country support, while FNet will deploy the network and oversee billing.

Magruder said the target date to debut the FNet/LibertyOne service in New Zealand is August, with Australian service scheduled to begin in September.

Magruder said FNet plans to deploy its network in at least 50 countries within two years.