The Prepaid Press - September 15, 2008 - (Page 1)

5 Minutes With Brian Rudolph Co-owner, Krush Communications Page 7 FREE Subscription for Prepaid Industry Professionals. Electronic and Print Versions Available www.prepaid-press.com/subscribe The Prepaid Press Real News, Right Now! REAL NEWS, RIGHT NOW! September 15, 2008. Volume 7. Number 9 Also in this issue CALLING CARDS USAC’s “Carrier’s Carrier” Rule Comes Under Attack Page 18 ISOs Hold Key to Growth in Prepaid Industry Partnerships, Know-How Critical to Unlocking Opportunity By Ingrid Ricks Walk into any big box retailer or grocery chain these days and you’ll find racks full of closed loop gift cards, open loop debit cards, phone cards, prepaid wireless cards and everything in between. Stored value cards have become big business for retailers wanting to generate incremental revenue streams. And thanks to companies such as InComm, Blackhawk Network and Coinstar, the big chain retail sector is pretty much locked up. But while the Wal-Marts and Walgreens of the world have been secured, the independent store market remains largely untapped — giving ISOs and agents who haven’t yet made the jump from long distance and wireless to the ever-expanding stored value bandwagon a huge business opportunity. It’s the next frontier and the biggest players in the stored value industry are eager to partner with ISOs and agents to tap into it. DATELINE EXPO Learn from the Experts Pages 10, 16, 20 TPPEXPO’08 SPOTLIGHT Page 8 “For the longest period of time, the independent side of the business has been ignored and underserved,” notes Ron Betti, Senior Director of Sales for InComm. “I know that there are a substantial number of independents that are not offering replenishment, or that are still offering live card replenishment. As such, I think the opportunities are enormous.” “We have penetrated big drug and grocery chains Continues on page 26 Prepaid Industry Leaders Speak Out by Gene Retske The Prepaid Press Expo 2008 was the largest gathering of prepaid industry leaders from all segments of prepaid. There were over 1,200 executives, managers, analysts, consultants and researchers from calling card, wireless, gift and debit cards and other prepaid sectors, in attendance at the Expo. For three days, they met in conferences and in the exhibit hall to review trends and events, and talk about the industry. Convergence was a major theme; a trend that is bringing together the diverse elements of the prepaid industry. For the first time, prepaid calling cards, gift cards, wireless cards, prepaid debit cards are all sitting together on the same racks. They are expanding from national retail chains to c-stores, bodegas and small independent grocery stores. The editorial staff of TPP had a unique opportunity to learn from those most involved with the currents flowing through the industry. In this issue, we present three pieces, each focused on a broad segment of prepaid. In these, you will find the comments and ideas we found to be the most compelling. It is not comprehensive. There were too many people and too much information being covered for that to be a reality. The material presented at the conference alone would fill several volumes. But, what follows is a sampling of what we heard and what we learned. Continues on pages 10, 16, 20 20533 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 1142. Aventura, FL 33180. US Tampa, FL Permit No. 3311 PRSRT STD U.S. Postage State of the Industry PAID http://www.prepaid-press.com/subscribe

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Prepaid Press - September 15, 2008

The Prepaid Press - September 15, 2008 ISOs Hold Key to Growth in Prepaid Industry Contents From the Publisher: The Show Goes On Regulatory Rundown: Early Fall Regulatory Beat 5 Minutes With Brian Rudolph, Co-owner, Krush Communications TPPEXPO’08 Spotlight Dateline Expo: Prepaid Wireless Update 2008 Wireless in Brief MetroPCS Available at Best Buy Western Capital Resources Inc. to Acquire PQH, Inc. TracFone Launches SafeLink Wireless Prepaid Wireless Roundup CIT Secures Financing for Prepaid Wireless Company MetroPCS Premiers Loopt Social-Mapping Services Virgin Mobile USA Reports Financial Results Dateline Expo: Prepaid Calling Card Update 2008 Inc. 5000 Recognizes Viscom International USAC’s “Carrier’s Carrier” Rule Comes Under Attack NetIQ Extends VoIP Management to Microsoft Office Transverse Launches OSS/BSS Open Source Platform Calling Cards in Brief Dateline Expo: Prepaid and Alternative Payments Update 2008 NETELLER and TransSend to Offer Cards Payments in Brief U.S. Treasury Introducing Direct Express Debit Card Visa Launches New Mobile Payment Services SCX Global Acquired by Rev Worldwide Metavante Selected by Corporate Network eCom ACE and NetSpend Launch March of Dimes Card AccuPOS Announces AccuCount Software Springbok Offers Private Label Prepaid Cards Prepaid 101: ATMs and Prepaid NACS Releases State of the Industry Report PaySpot to Distribute Futura Cards Hypercom Lands Element Payment Services Retail Focus in Brief Our Advertisers Contact Us

The Prepaid Press - September 15, 2008

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