The Prepaid Press - September 15, 2008 - (Page 14)

PREPAID WIRELESS September 15 · 2008 - 14 MetroPCS Premiers Loopt Social-Mapping Services Displays Real-Time Locations of Friends and Family DALLAS, TX (August 12, 2008) MetroPCS Communications, Inc. (NySE:PCS), provider of unlimited, flat-rate wireless communications service, has launched Loopt, a social-mapping and communications service for mobile handsets. Loopt will display where friends are located and what they are doing via detailed, interactive maps on customers’ MetroPCS wireless phones. Loopt helps friends connect on the go and navigate their social lives by orienting them to people, places and events. Users can also share location updates, geo-tagged photos and comments with friends in their mobile address book or online social networks, communities and blogs. “MetroPCS is constantly seeking ways to improve our customers’ wireless experience,” said Roger Linquist, president and CEO of MetroPCS. “Loopt provides even more convenient, on-thego options for our customers who are looking for new ways to find and connect with family and friends.” Loopt is 100 percent permission-based and users share location information only with their known friends via private networks. In addition, users can easily turn location-sharing on or off at any time on a friend-by-friend basis or for all friends at one time. MetroPCS’ unlimited, flat-rate wireless, no signed contract plans range from $30 to $50 per month and allow subscribers to talk all they want, 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week. Unlike most carriers, MetroPCS does not require a signed contract, which means that consumers can activate service without going through a credit check or paying a deposit. Many of the plans include unlimited features such as voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, threeway calling, text and picture messaging, push email, mobile Internet browsing, mobile instant messaging, and Metro411, a voice-activated, premium directory assistance service. Loopt will be included in some service plans and available for a monthly fee as an add-on to others. Additionally, MetroPCS offers unlimited family plans for an affordable low price. Source: MetroPCS Communications, Inc. (www.metropcs.com) Virgin Mobile USA Reports Financial Results Net Revenues Down, Increased ARPU WARREN, NJ (August 13, 2008) Virgin Mobile USA, Inc. (NySE:VM), a national provider of wireless communications services without annual contracts, has reported its financial and operational results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2008. “Our efforts in the first half of the year position Virgin Mobile to rapidly improve our growth trends,” said Dan Schulman, Chief Executive Officer, Virgin Mobile USA. “The operational improvements we have put into place are beginning to pay off. While net revenues declined year over year due to general economic conditions and their resultant impact on consumer budgets, the benefits of our low fixed-cost model are reflected in our strong profitability and record free cash flow of $29.2 million. “The success of our newly introduced voice and data plans has driven substantial increases in higher ARPU gross customer additions in the From calling cards to wireless services to payments, consumers are demanding innovations in the prepaid space. Never before, in the history of prepaid, has there been so much opportunity. Together, prepaid services are approaching $200 billion a year in revenue in the U.S., and they are growing at a rapid rate as consumer acceptance increases. No other publication or event covers the prepaid world like The Prepaid Press and The Prepaid Press Expo. THE PREPAID PRESS. REAL NEWS. RIGHT NOW! FREE SUBSCRIPTION FOR PREPAID INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS. ELECTRONIC AND PRINT VERSIONS AVAILABLE. second quarter. The recent launch of our ‘Totally Unlimited’ calling plan for $79.99 provides our customers with one of the most compelling offers on the market and is quickly becoming a clear differentiator for Virgin Mobile USA. Sales of the new unlimited plan are exceeding our expectations, and at current usage levels, they are among our most profitable. We believe these factors will result in an improvement to ARPU trends going forward and reinforce our confidence in our 2008 estimates.” Schulman continued, “The acquisition of Helio offers an excellent opportunity to expand our addressable market into postpaid and significantly increase the value we can provide our customers through new data services and feature-rich handsets. The additional liquidity and improved capital structure anticipated from the deal will benefit our business financially and strategically, and we are looking forward to the closing of the transaction in the third quarter.” During the second quarter of 2008, Virgin Mobile USA’s net service revenue was $291.4 million, a decrease of 5.9% versus the same period last year. Virgin Mobile USA’s net service revenue for the first half of 2008 was $595.1 million compared to $632.1 million in the same period in 2007. Revenues in the first half of 2007 benefited from the launch of hybrid monthly plans, while second quarter 2008 revenues continue to be impacted by the effect of the current economic environment on prepaid customer usage, as well as by the industry-wide trend of substitution of lower-priced messaging for voice. Virgin Mobile USA’s net income for the quarter ended June 30, 2008 was $3.5 million, compared to net income of $7.1 million for the second quarter of 2007. Net income for the second quarter of 2008 included an accrual of $6.0 million for payments under Virgin Mobile USA’s tax receivable agreements, and minority interest expense of $2.0 million, both of which did not exist in the comparable period in the prior year, before the Company’s initial public offering. In addition to the items previously discussed, net income for the first six months of 2008 was also impacted by an $8.1 million accrual for payments under the Company’s tax receivable agreements compared to the first half of 2007 when the tax receivable agreements were not in effect. John Feehan, Chief Financial Officer of Virgin Mobile USA commented, “The strong Adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow we produced for the first six months of the year continues to demonstrate the strength of our model and capital structure. The closing of the Helio acquisition and the expected repayment of $50 million of our senior credit facility are expected to further improve our liquidity and cash flows.” Virgin Mobile USA’s management believes the operational initiatives it has put in place in recent quarters, including new service plans, handsets, increased distribution and operational cost savings, will enable it to continue to improve business trends in the second half of 2008, and position the Company for growth in 2009. Source: Virgin Mobile USA, Inc. (www.virginmobileusa.com) 866.203.2334 · info@prepaid-press.com · expo@prepaidpressexpo.com http://www.metropcs.com http://www.virginmobileusa.com

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

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.