LA JOLLA, Calif. (BUSINESS WIRE) Global Vision Holdings Inc., (Pink Sheets: GVHL), a developer and worldwide wholesale marketer of a new generation of prepaid financial services, announced today that its CEO, Jack Chang, has been interviewed by WallStreetReporter.com, a leading financial news and information web site, and is currently featured as a guest interview on the site.
Visitors to the site may listen to streamed audio of the interview at: [ >>>
]
During the interview, Chang discussed the company’s business model, which focuses on meeting the financial needs of the world’s «unbankable» consumers by providing a variety of membership based and prepaid financial products, such as prepaid bank debit cards, gift cards, cardholder rewards programs, and prepaid phone cards to name a few.
[ read more ]
By Adrian McCoy, Pittsburgh
Post-GazetteCell
phones have morphed into
mini-computers, with
e-mail and Web access, and still and video cameras. And broadband Internet connections have evolved into
alternative telephones. The result: It’s easier -- and less expensive -- for people to talk face to face, wherever they might be.
Gaoying Bolinger of Wexford talks to friends she hasn’t seen in years almost daily now. Some are college friends or people she grew up with in China who are now scattered across three continents. Using Yahoo’s and MSN’s instant messaging services, the group can chat online, with or without video images, which can be grainy and jumpy. But making eye contact across the globe is, like the MasterCard commercial says, priceless.
The instant message service is free. The only investment needed is a Web cam and a high-speed Internet connection.
[ read more ]
CHICAGO
(BUSINESS WIRE)Aug. 12,
2004--Fitch Ratings has affirmed the senior unsecured debt ratings of BCE Inc. (BCE) and Bell Canada at
’A-’ and ’A’, respectively. The Rating Outlooks are Stable for both companies. Approximately C$11 billion of public debt securities are affected by these actions.
The affirmation recognizes the improvement in the BCE and Bell Canada credit profile through debt reduction over the past 18 months, solid free cash flow generation supplemented by several nonrecurring items and growth in Bell Canada’s consumer segment, balanced against the competitive pressures in the local, data, and long distance segments. While Fitch believes VoIP offerings will increase business risk and likely accelerate access line erosion in 2005, that effect can be potentially offset by diversified operations in growth areas, such as wireless, DSL, and video, as well as productivity improvements to maintain free cash flow levels. The ability of Bell Canada to drive new revenue growth will ultimately determine the sustainable long-term credit profile. Accordingly, Bell Canada’s new long distance bundle offering strongly reflects the company’s focus on the growth areas in the business.
During the past 18 months, BCE has made considerable progress in decreasing leverage, as the company reduced net debt at consolidated BCE by approximately $2.3 billion or 15% of net debt. As a result, debt-to-EBITDA has improved from 2.2 times (x) in 2002 to 1.9x at the end of the second quarter 2004. Fitch believes further debt reduction is necessary to offset increasing business risk associated with its wireline segment, and prospects remain good for further deleveraging. However, additional opportunities in 2004 are limited due to the $570 million in cash requirements associated with the Bell West put.
[ read more ]
Qwest Communications International Inc. and Bell Canada say they have signed a
multi-year interconnection agreement to enhance the quality and reliability of telephone services to residential and business customers making
international long-distance calls between Canada and the United States.
International voice traffic between Canada and the U.S. represents the largest volume of international long-distance traffic in the world, the companies say, with telephone traffic between the two countries estimated to represent more than 12 billion minutes of use per year.
[ read more ]
Ken Nwogbo
Lagos
Opponents of local recharge card manufacture have mounted campaign to puncture government’s directive that the cards be produced locally. Government nevertheless seems bent on the December 31, 2004 deadline to stop the importation of the cards.
FOUR years ago, Legal giant and foremost Nigerian telecom lawyer, Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN) warned the country to pay attention to local inputs as it prepared to launch its telecom revolution.
Mr. Usoro was alarmed that little or no attention was given to local manufacture of telecommunications equipment and infrastructure.
In a paper that year Mr. Usoro observed that «currently, there is no Nigerian company that is seriously involved in the manufacture of any telecommunications infrastructure or equipment. As Nigeria seeks to meet its telecommunications policy objectives, it is paramount that attention be paid to the manufacture of telecommunications equipment and infrastructure.»
He warned that «failure to do this will result in Nigeria continuing as a net importer of telecommunications infrastructure and equipment».
[ read more ]
