Issue 67. 03/26/01

Summary

-Phonecard, smartcard and telecom news from countries: Austria, Finland, Hungary, Italy, USA

The three year-old tradition has continued and now you can vote for your favorite phonecards of the past year.  Show your appreciation and help award your favorite cards.  Not only will your participate, but have a good chance of winning some valuable cards; everything from African to oil platform cards. Go and make your voice heard. 

Phonecards: Phonecard Collectors EXPO 2001

-Telecom news:

-KPN is looking to sell its shares from Hungarian telecom, Pantel.

Phonecard NEWS:

-Austrian Card News from Andrea Reischl. 

 Telekom Austria has announced the release of the latest and last promotional phonecard:

254: "ISDN"
Issue date: Feb 8, 2001 (actually issued March 14, 2001)
Mintage: 300.000 (initial)
Nominal value: ATS 106 (EUR 7,70)

-Report from Alessandro Savocco on Italy:

As I wrote about a month ago. Telecom Italia is changing system from URMET to
CHIP. In the last Catalogue. Telecom Italia put to sell the first public Chipcard.
The mintage of this card is 1.515.000 pieces !!!!

This ChipCard is the second because, as I wrote, at the end of 1999 Telecom
Italia issued a prototype card (working and charged) as a complimentary card (mintage
only 40.000). 

To see more info and pictures go to: http://savocco.interfree.it 

-News from Intelecard-NEWS Miami show-Bruce Harmon- www.Acmetel.com  

Hey Gang, From Award Winning Continental Plastic Card company comes another dynamic show card that had everybody oohing and aahing at the most recent InteleCard News Expo held just last week here in Miami Florida. Just when you don't think Continental can top themselves, they somehow manage to do just that. This card needs to be seen to really be appreciated and I can pretty much guarantee that you don't have another card like it in your collection. Here's my description as to the best of my ability: The card measures approximately 6 1/2 by 7 1/2 and is like a greeting card or book. On the front cover are 2 beach chairs with a beach umbrella between them. The chairs are facing the surf or ocean as the waves are coming toward the chairs. In the sky above the ocean is a saxophone and in pink across the sky it say: SAX on the beach....all day long Beneath the saxophone it says: March 2001, Miami Beach. The real treat comes when you open up the card! Upon opening the card a die cut saxophone literally pops up from the inside spine of the card. On the die cut saxophone is all the information needed to make a 5 minute call. Pin number, 800 access number, etc. Each card is individually numbered to ONLY 250 and the phone time is by Qwest. There is also NO scratch off. Across the inside of the card ala a 3-Dimensional type look is the Miami Skyline in black and sliver. Across the top of the skyline against a purple background in yellow on the left hand side it says: Sax in the City....all night long. On the right side above the skyline is the InteleCard Expo logo and information about the Expo. This card also show cases the various types of printing that Continental can do and again, this is truly one of the most unique cards they or anyone has ever done.

Picture from Lenny at www.cashcards.com 

-New phonecards from Sonera, Finland.

D234 Haymakingsense 02/01 50.000 FIM 30;-	D235 Travellingman 02/01 20.000 FIM 100;-

/Sonera/

-Phonecard promotions, card giveaways:

WFNX, an alternative radio based in Boston is still giving out free membership cards, which are also 5 minute phonecards.Go to www.wfnx.com to sign up.

Magazine Review:

Intelecard-NEWS International Spring Issue:

This quarter you can read about a new collector program for MACARTEs from France Telecom.  Also, read about new cards, telecom news and events.

Intelecard-NEWS International is a quarterly magazine published by Quality Publishing and targets the international prepaid phonecard industry.  Visit ICNI at www.intelecard.com 

ICNI is a host for PCE2001, Orlando- www.phonecardexpo.org  

New catalogues:

Africa 2
By Daniele Pitarresi
96 pages, full color - Includes: Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria.

Issued: MARCH 2001 

Price: Eu 9.30

Upcoming shows:

-April 20-22 5th Lodz Phonecard Exhibition Lodz, Poland

-April 21-22 14th Matav Phonecard Fair, Budapest Hungary

-April 7-8 2nd Millenium Fair, Sporthall, Antwerp, NETHERLANDS

-April 21  Croydon Fair, Croydon, UK

For a full listing visit www.phonecardexpo.org 

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The "WPD news" is the free weekly news service of the Worldwide Phonecard Database (WPD). Copyright WPD 1999-2001