The Prepaid Press - December 15, 2007 - (Page 1)

5 Minutes With Arnie Goodstein CEO, WCGS Page 10 IT’S COMING! ARE YOU READY? Page 6 REAL NEWS, RIGHT NOW! December 15, 2007. Volume 6. Number 12 Also in this issue TELECOM & TECHNOLOGY ‘Tis the Season… Page 18 2007 Prepaid in Review Staff Report WIRELESS Has the Virgin Been Deﬂowered? Page 13 PAYMENTS Gift Cards Page 21 Prepaid is growing, changing and expanding - just has it has always done. But 2007 has seen some of the most signiﬁcant changes yet in this dynamic and continually morphing industry. As we see from the continuing convergence of telephony, wireless and payments, the industry keeps changing in some fundamental ways. Although we know that you have been following this every month in TPP, we thought it would be interesting to see a capsule of the news from the pages of our publication in one place. The editors have compiled this list of the most important stories covered in the pages of TPP. It is eye-opening to note not only the number of developments, but how fast they unfold. January The FCC approved the merger of AT&T and BellSouth to create the new at&t. According to our tracking, this means that we are now just two mergers away from a reconstituted pre-divestiture AT&T. Good thing or bad? You be the judge. In wireless, the iPhone made its debut, and TPP was one of the ﬁrst to report on the prepaid option. February We reported that Locus had asked the FCC for a ruling on DAC (Dial Around Compensation), and whether calls to customer service should be included. This development represented an escalation in the ongoing battle over DAC. Missy Sue Mastel revealed the intriguing prospect of a refund for unwarranted taxes. Everyone liked this idea, except, presumably, federal tax collectors. Continues on page 12 Rumors Abound by Gene Retske There may be an attempt at forming a new prepaid calling card association brewing. The industry has been without a uniﬁed voice since the IPCA (International Prepaid Communications Association) folded in late 2005, amid a storm of controversy. In the meantime, the prepaid calling card industry has been subject to a tidal wave of class action suits, state regulatory actions, FCC regulation, DAC, and even lawsuits between service providers alleging consumer fraud. A unified voice for the prepaid calling card industry could help the entire industry in self-policing and a single voice advocacy, if such an organization can actually unify enough players to be effective. Can the industry finally coalesce? Maybe. Let’s consider a bit of history to understand how we arrived at this point. The Rise Of IPCA In 1995, the International Telecard Association was formed to support the growing prepaid calling card industry, as an advocacy group. The ITA provided a range of services, from industry key topics, such as taxation and regulation issues, to consumer support, including a toll-free hotline for consumers to call if cards purchased did not work. (The ITA did not provide any warranty, but was often able to resolve disputes, or even replace cards.) Continues on page 20 20533 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 1142. Aventura, FL 33180. US Tampa, FL Permit No. 3311 PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID New Prepaid Association?

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Prepaid Press - December 15, 2007

The Prepaid Press - December 15, 2007 GENERAL PREPAID 2007: Prepaid in Review New Prepaid Association? Contents A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Regulatory Rundown: FCC Enforcement, SEC Cracks Down, VoIP Hacking, & Wireless Regulation The Legal Line WIRELESS Prepaid Wireless Roundup kajeet to Offer Horoscopes, Jokes and Trivia Redknee Extends Converged Billing Solution AT&T GoPhone Offers Roaming Option in Mexico Total Call Mobile Introduces Holiday Bonus Wireless in Brief INTERNATIONAL Spot Rates Keycorp to Distribute Hypercom in Canada International in Brief Mobile Communications in Latin America Gets a Leg Up TELECOM & TECHNOLOGY T&T in Brief Phone House Launches New Card Facebook Goes Mobile CVT and Total Call Settle IDT Lawsuit Wireline Capex Grows 7% in Third Quarter PAYMENTS Transcard Selected for Discover Payroll Cards Vesdia and MXT Card Services Form Alliance The Giving Tree Card Gives Back MasterCard Launches Prepaid Travel Card Payments in Brief 7-Eleven Pushes Video Games Capital One and NetSpend Merger Off i2c Launches New Release of Campaign Manager Prepaid Card Dispensing from ATMs Credit Card Design Competition Begins NRF Says Gift Cards Gaining Popularity EXTRAS Classifieds Contact Us Our Advertisers

The Prepaid Press - December 15, 2007

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