Qwest chief financial officer John Richardson is resigning, the company said today.

Richardson, 63, joined Qwest in 2003, and became CFO last year, succeeding Oren Shaffer. Prior to joining Qwest, Richardson spent 35 years at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.

"We want to thank John for all of his hard work during the past five years," said Edward A. Mueller, Qwest chairman and chief executive officer, in a written statement. "We believe that, in part due to John's efforts, the company is on sound footing. We look forward to identifying the best candidate to replace John. In the meantime, we will continue to execute on our strategies."

Richardson will remain at Qwest until a successor is named.

Source: www.denverpost.com/telecom/ci_8810756

America’s biggest telecom provider, AT&T Inc., is bringing a little bit of Las Vegas to its U-verse IPTV customers, adding content from Players Network Inc. to its Video On Demand library.

U-verse TV customers will now be able to watch up to 50 “Vegas on Demand” programs each month from Players Network’s extensive library of more than 1,000 gaming and casino related programs.

By signing a distribution deal with Players Network, AT&T is likely hoping to become the pay-TV provider of choice for avid gamblers throughout its massive service area.

Source: http://www.teleclick.ca/2008/02/att-brings-vegas-on-

demand-content-to-u-verse-iptv-network/

Evolution Benefits has agreed to acquire the assets of Motivano’s SmartFlex benefits debit card business. Motivano said it made the decision to exit the flex business in order to focus on their other products.

“After meeting with all our key competitors, we determined Evolution Benefits’ platform was the most technologically advanced, and their team and documented customer service record made them the obvious choice for our customer base. At Motivano we are extremely pleased with this transaction, as it provides our clients with the market-leading solution, and enables Motivano to focus on our other products, ” said Seif Saghri CEO of Motivano/SmartFlex.

“Evolution Benefits looks forward to delivering industry leading debit card program capabilities to SmartFlex customers, including high auto-substantiation rates, responsive customer service, multi-account stacking, and comprehensive communications support,” said EB chairman and CEO Robert Patricelli. ... (more)

America’s leading wireless carrier, AT&T, says it will alter (but not eliminate) a flat fee it charges for early termination of wireless services.

The $175 fee, which is charged to all customers that renege on a one or twoyear service agreement, is designed to reduce customer churn and prevent postpaid subscribers from jumping to other carriers.

Beginning May 25, the fee will be reduced by $5 each month that a customer is under contract. A user who canceled his or her service 16 months into a twoyear contract, for example, would only have to pay $95 in cancellation fees.

This new policy will give greater flexibility to consumers, according to the San Antonio-based company, while continuing to deter subscribers from breaking their contracts on a whim.

Source: www.teleclick.ca/2008/04/attoffersprorateddiscountonearlycancellationfee/

JoiPhone VoIP has just announced some new International Unlimited Calling Plans that offer good value for people who make frequent international calls. Consumers who spend more than $50 per month on international calls should consider one of these plans. They include local phone service, unlimited calling in the USA and unlimited calling to specific international destinations for one low monthly rate. JoiPhone is currently offering 3 unlimited calling plans.

The lowest price plan is only $8.95 per month if you pay for one year. It offers unlimited calling to the USA and 9 countries. These include Argentina, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Ireland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain and the United Kingdom. The plan is $17.95 per month if you pay monthly which is still a good deal.

The second plan features unlimited calling to the USA and 40 other countries for $14.95 per month on a yearly plan. This plan costs $19.95 per month and a month-to-month basis. ... (more)

Pingo (www.pingo.com), the online calling service from iBasis (NASDAQ: IBAS), today reduced the cost to call Pakistan by more than 30 percent. The lower Pakistan prepaid calling card rate is enabled by RateWatcher™, a Pingo feature that actively searches for opportunities to reduce costs for customers. Pingo has also announced that new subscribers can receive one hundred free minutes of calling to Pakistan by registering through the pingopakistan page, which also contains additional information on the offering.

iBasis is one of the top three carriers of international phone calls in the world, resulting in a buying power that enables Pingo to consistently deliver extremely competitive rates. Customers save on calls to both landline and mobile phones in almost every country, with mobile phone users saving as much as 90 percent on international calling.

Pingo offers highquality, lowcost international and long distance calling on a prepaid basis without any long term contractual obligation. ... (more)

Bell Latino Store Opens in Asbury Park, New Jersey
 
US Starcom, Inc.’s subsidiary Bell Latino Multiservices, Inc. has opened a new Bell Latino in Asbury Park, New Jersey. There are currently eight Bell Latino retail stores; this is the company’s fourth store in New Jersey.

Bell Latino retail outlets, also know as “tiendas”, provide money transfer services, international phone booths, internet access, prepaid phone cards and other ancillary communications and financial services. The new Asbury Park store is located at 809 Main Street.

“Bell Latino stores are a valuable resource to the neighborhoods and communities in which they operate,” said John DiDomenico, CEO of US Starcom. “There is a growing population in the United States to whom money remittance is an essential financial service. We carefully evaluate potential Bell Latino locations and open in areas where we can best serve this demographic. ... (more)

Ipevo, a maker of Skype telephones, has unveiled the Solo, a phone that makes VoIP calls without having to be plugged in to a computer. The Solo jacks directly in to a broadband Internet wall jack. WiFi is not supported at this time, though Ipevo expects to release a dongle that will enable that capability by the end of the year.

Skype hardware maker Ipevo announced on Tuesday the U.S. launch of the Solo, a desktop Skype phone that makes phone calls over the Internet without being tethered to a computer. Ipevo officials hope the stand-alone device will catch the fancy of users who shy away from computers. The always-on phone, however, requires a broadband Internet connection.

The Solo is embedded with Skype software so users can place phone calls to anywhere in the world from any available wired broadband connection. "The Solo allows users to Skype without the overhead of being tethered to a computer. Some people don't like to have their computers always on just to use the phone. ... (more)