The Prepaid Press - January 2009 - (Page 4)

PREPAID BUSINESS Dec. 2008 / Jan. 2009 - 4 FROM THE PUBLISHER By Robin Tobias Ready for Change? A New and Improved 2009 on the Way With over two dozen sponsors and exhibitors back on board for tppEXPO’09 at press time, we are confident that this year’s Expo will surpass expectations and become the industry’s flagship event. However, at The Prepaid Press, we understand that one cannot rely on past successes alone. Businesses need to look forward, and change plans accordingly to retain their success. You will notice that this issue of The Prepaid Press includes various changes. Thanks to industry feedback, we have reformatted our sections to reflect the changes taking place in the prepaid space, as follows: Prepaid Business – A mix of prepaid news, updates, and tips from all industry sectors. Prepaid Telecom – Covers prepaid long distance and prepaid wireless services, from the service provider level down to the retailer. Payments & Processing – Includes news and strategies on payments and processing, giving readers the nuts and bolts on prepaid financial cards, mobile payments, and merchant services. Gift Cards & Promotions – At the retail level, gift cards are the hot ticket item. They hit a minor slump this past holiday season, with consumers somewhat tepid about the retailers who back them, however, this is one offering that won’t be disappearing anytime soon. Additionally, PINbased promotions, once a staple to prepaid programs, are making a comeback, and will now be featured in this section. Most noticeable in our new line up is the addition of the Gift Cards & Promotions section. In efforts to get their products to pop off of the highly populated convenience store shelves, many providers are tagging promotions onto their prepaid offerings. As featured in our October 15, 2008 issue, “Promotions Evolve into Must Have Marketing Strategy for Prepaid Sector,” prepaid Businesses need to look forward, and change plans accordingly to retain their success. providers are turning to value adds to sell product. From tangible gifts accompanying gift card purchases, to PIN-driven sweepstakes, discounts, music and more, promotions are back – and better than ever. To provide our readers with the most informative content possible, we have also expanded our Editorial Advisory Board to include experts from all sectors of the prepaid space: telecom, payments, and promotions (see below). Through their input, and the expertise of our own team of seasoned writers and editors, we will continue to provide you with the information you need to survive and thrive in 2009. Change is good. Change. President-elect Barack Obama built his campaign on it. Americans, hoping to weather today’s rough economy, are banking on it. Change is vital to survival and growth – personally and professionally. Over the last year, The Prepaid Press has changed. In 2008, we launched The Prepaid Press Expo, which was a dramatic change to our business model, as well as a change for the entire prepaid industry. As it turned out, this was a necessary change, and gave the industry the venue it needed to bring players and buyers together in one place, at one time, to focus on growth and innovation. The Prepaid Press Thanks its Editorial Advisory Board for their ongoing input and direction. Paul Amick EVP and Co-Founder, PhoenixSoft pamick@phoenixsoft.com Paul Amick, a 20 year telecom veteran, is Executive VP for PhoenixSoft, a provider of client/ server based convergent billing and enhanced switching solutions. In this role, Paul leads the company’s sales and marketing efforts, as well as new system implementation and ongoing support. Prior to co-founding PhoenixSoft in 1992 (formerly known as Phoenix Technologies), Paul was Principal and General Manager of Software Systems, a hardware/software developer for telecom providers. At the onset of his telecom career, Paul served as a Sales Manager for AT&T. Paul’s comprehensive understanding of the technology behind the prepaid industry has enabled dozens of providers to become profitable as facilities-based carriers. He has also been a significant editorial contributor to many of the industry’s leading prepaid publications, providing in-depth explanation and analysis of the industry’s technologies and trends. Len Bittner President of Maverick Telecom Consultancy & Brokerage len@mavericktelecom.com Len Bittner, President of Maverick Telecom Consultancy & Brokerage, is a 20 year telecommunications veteran with extensive experience in business development, sales management, marketing, sales support, mergers & acquisitions, operations, and regulatory affairs. His expertise lies in voice, data, and video communications; prepaid phone card services; 1+ and 0+ long distance; dedicated T-1 & DS-3 services; satellite communications; switch/platform operations; international private lines (IPLs); circuit provisioning; network design and deployment; using traditional telephony technologies as well as frame relay, ATM, and VoIP. Since deregulation of the Bell System in 1984, Len has worked for a number of private and public small entrepreneurial companies such as American Network, TMC Communications, ComSystems, WCT Communications, Advantage Communications, Destiny Communications, and Trident Media. Lori Breitzke CEO, E&S Consulting lori_breitzke@bellsouth.net Lori Breitzke is an expert in merchant acquiring, point-of-sale and prepaid card issuing of gift, payroll and general purpose reloadable cards. Her diverse background includes several leading transaction processing companies such as VeriFone, Ingenico, RBS Lynk and First Data. Lori’s expertise includes marketing, web layout, research, program management, and partner recommendations. Lori is a frequent trade show and conference speaker and contributes to a number of industry publications. Lori is the Vice-Chair of the ETA Education Committee and a member of the ATMIA. Lori serves as an associate of The Strawhecker Group and owns her own consulting firm, E&S Consulting, LLC. Ron Contrado President, Chairman and Founder of Homisco, Inc. rcontrado@homisco.com Ron Contrado is President, Chairman and Founder of Homisco, Inc., a provider of wireless and wireline services and technologies, including ASP billing for the carrier and enterprise market. He currently serves on the board of Continues on page 9 http://www.surchargecontrol.com http://www.surchargecontrol.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Prepaid Press - January 2009

The Prepaid Press - January 2009 Economic Crisis Sharpens Focus on Stored Value Cards Industry Veterans Weigh In on 2009 Prepaid Opportunities Contents From the Publisher: Ready for Change? The Prepaid Press Thanks its Editorial Advisory Board Regulatory Rundown 2008 Milestones Prepaid Wireless Providers Capitalize on Economic Downturn Prepaid Telecom in Brief APCC Services Settles With Calling Card Providers Boost Mobile Offers All-in-One Prepaid Package SonarTel Prepaid Customers Can Use Accounts in More Countries BillSoft Selected by Integra Telecom Pingo Adds PC “SoftPhone” Calling kajeet, the Cell Phone Service for Kids, Wins Award Prepaid Wireless Roundup The State of Prepaid Technology: Wholesalers & White Label Services New Millennium Releases Wireless Survey Results 5 Minutes With Paul Amick, EVP & Co-Founder, PhoenixSoft Millions Could Cut Cell Phone Bills in Half New Virgin Poll Reveals Buying Habits The Legal Line BioPay Expands Offering for Underbanked IDT to Sell European Prepaid Payment Business iPayStation Launches Network for Distributor Stored Value Solutions Appoints New VP Cellular South Offers Mobile Banking for Regions Bank Javelin Research: Processor Important in Prepaid MiCash Announces New Prepaid Debit Card Monitise and eCommLink Partner Platamovil Selects PhoenixSoft’s Cirrus Softswitch Prepaid Market Forecasts to 2011 Payments & Processing in Brief Prepaid 101: Gift Cards SCA’s PrizeSuite Enables Promotions MT&L Offers Gift Card Removal and Destruction Heartland Payment Systems Acquires Chockstone Amex and Rymax Offer Gift Cards TransCard Announces Corporate Gift Card Website Gift Cards & Promotions in Brief Our Advertisers Contact Us

The Prepaid Press - January 2009

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