Posted on 08. Aug, 2010 by NetworkIP in NetworkIP Blog, Press Release
Longview, Texas (August 27, 2010) – NetworkIP®, a leading provider of innovative telephony and stored value services, today announced the official launch and distribution of the NetworkIP Pinless Retail Portal (PRP), a white-label online application to setup, brand, distribute, manage and sell pinless prepaid accounts at the retail level.
PRP enables Wholesale Prepaid Calling Card Providers to offer their distributors a way to sell retail-level products under their current brand name offerings. Those retail outlets, in turn, are able to instantly sell pinless prepaid accounts to consumers via a web-based interface. Pinless prepaid accounts conveniently let consumers dial long-distance numbers without having to enter pin.
“Everyone in the transaction process benefits from this distribution method.” said Brent Hetherington, Product Manager, NetworkIP. “Consumers love pinless products because they are easy to use, retail outlets no longer have to stock physical inventory, distributors gain real-time visibility into their commissions and wholesalers simply reduce overhead costs, increase brand awareness and increase their revenue opportunities. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved in the pinless prepaid distribution process.”
The underlying enterprise-level technology that powers the Pinless Retail Portal consists of the same innovations that power other NetworkIP services.
Since 1998, Network Enhanced Telecom, LLP dba NetworkIP, has been a leading provider of patented, best-in-class telephony and stored value technologies, systems and integrated services incorporating long distance, mobile, conferencing and customer service. NetworkIP customers run their entire business, from facilities and billing to back-office, on the industry’s most innovative Hosted Services Platform, ensuring the best combination of usage-based pricing and call quality, innovation, reliability and increased profitability. For more information, please visit: www.NetworkIP.net.
Posted on 28. Apr, 2010 by NetworkIP in Events, NetworkIP Blog
The countdown has started; just 118 days until the 2010 Prepaid Press Expo opens at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. The Prepaid Press Expo 2010 Conference agenda has been revised and is completely new, with the hottest topics and the most important issues in prepaid.
Our very own Pete Pattullo, NetworkIP’s CEO will be participating in two sessions on day 1 to share his experience and knowledge with you. Pete will be focusing on two topics including: “Virtual Switch vs. Facilities Based, How to Make the Right Decision” and “New Technologies = New Opportunities”. Both sessions are on Tuesday, August 24. For more information, visit the Prepaid Press Expo website here.
Posted on 05. Apr, 2010 by NetworkIP in NetworkIP Blog
We’ve recently published an email marketing campaign focusing on prepaid distributors that are ready to take on the challenges of tomorrow. Our goal is to communicate that we are positioned to help those that have outgrown their current business model and ready to make a change.
Below is an excerpt from the email campaign with a full link at the end of the article.
Are you ready to make a change for the challenges of tomorrow?
- Control your own products with usage versus discount minutes
- Outsource your facilities to eliminate the cost and management of running your own switch
- Gain access to the tools that will enable you to create competitive products
- Get the carrier quality that is needed to retain your customers
- Take advantage of 24/7 support
NetworkIP gives distributors the flexibility to quickly offer new prepaid products and services with the industry’s most evolved and proven Hosted Services Platform. Additionally, NetworkIP is a usage-based provider, meaning you ONLY pay for minutes used and you keep the breakage. No more guessing what your true rate is or how your products are performing. All of this is done online from anywhere in the world.
Posted on 08. Feb, 2010 by Eryn in NetworkIP Blog
Every month, NetworkIP publishes a new ad in the Prepaid Press Magazine. As part of our new Blog format, we’ve decided to share each ad with our site visitors. This month, we focus on a very important element that a service provider needs to succeed in this industry – The Right People and Skills. This ad reads:
W
e’re with you…every step of the way
NetworkIP has assembled one of the most experienced support teams in the industry. Partner with us, and you can not only trust that we’ll ensure the ease of transition but you can also count on us to deliver:
- your own dedicated Solutions Manager
- 24/7 support that’s just a phone call away
- one-on-one training (transition and new releases)
- superior level of customer service
- lifelong partnership to help you succeed
On your path to profitability, we’ll be there to help you along the way – your success is our success.
We Take You Higher.
Posted on 08. Feb, 2010 by Eryn in NetworkIP Blog
Welcome to the new NetworkIP corporate website. Chances are you’ve already navigated your way through many of these pages and if you’ve been here before, noticed several changes.
Our goal was simple: make it easier for our site visitors to understand who we are and what we do. We started by separating our services from technology and showcasing them directly on our home page. In our continued commitment to help our customers succeed, we’ve also developed a Resources center. Here we provide access to the tools that make running a prepaid business more effectively along with informational videos, downloads and other resources – expect more soon! Additionally, we’ve enhanced our Blog to include any and all news we post along with being able to access the latest directly from the home page. And, don’t be surprised to see posts written by a variety of authors including Pete Pattullo, NetworkIP Chief Executive Officer.
We hope you enjoy the new website and be sure to stay connected and sign up for our quarterly newsletter launching spring 2010.
Posted on 30. Dec, 2009 by Brian Kirk in NetworkIP Blog
Every day is a wonderful day when working at NetworkIP!
OK, so maybe I’m exaggerating a bit; some days aren’t so wonderful and some are even down right tough, but that is true of every job (even Santa’s). However, the holidays truly are a wonderful time of year to work at NetworkIP. No, I’m not just saying that because it’s the time of year when we have our annual rockin’ company party.
It has everything to do with knowing that our relatively small company makes a significant impact in so many lives around the world. As we watch our call counts reach peak volumes during this holiday season, we know that families and friends across the globe are being connected. All of our employees are hard at work every day to ensure that each valued call is connected with quality and clarity.
Knowing that we are trusted to provide these connections makes being part of NetworkIP and coming to work each day so special for me. “Your Connections. Our Commitment.”, is much more than just a tag line for all of us.
So pick up the phone and stay connected to your family and friends during this special time of the year.
Brian Kirk
VP Business Development
NetworkIP and Jaduka
Posted on 07. Oct, 2009 by Brian Kirk in NetworkIP Blog
Given the speed of technology advancements it is imperative that we all keep our eyes and ears open to new opportunities. In my opinion, there has not been anything as exciting as what we have seen take place in the mobile industry in the last 5 years – both here in the U.S. and abroad.
From a prepaid perspective, 2009 has to be the most impressive year yet. It was in early January that Boost Mobile introduced their $50 unlimited plan and from that point forward the “Prepaid Mobile Price Wars” began. Maisie Ramsay just recently wrote a great article titled “Duking It Out In Prepaid” in Wireless Week on this subject. Beyond the price wars, the introduction of smart phones and the demand for mobile applications have really changed the face of prepaid mobile.
Also in 2009 we have seen an explosion in the number of mobile applications developed, and more importantly paid for and downloaded. While Apple’s iTunes store model has been by far the most successful (2 billion applications downloaded to date), Nokia, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Windows have all introduced their application store models in an attempt to gain market share in this space. I foresee the day when having a mobile application for your company is just as important as having a website.
As I leave my hotel room this morning and make the short walk to the San Diego Convention Center to attend CTIA Wireless I.T. and Entertainment my eyes and ears will be open to the many new mobile opportunities that lie ahead for NetworkIP and our customers.
Brian Kirk
VP Business Development
NetworkIP and Jaduka
Posted on 13. Sep, 2009 by Brian Kirk in NetworkIP Blog
Gary Kim, editor in chief of IP Business Magazine, shares his thoughts on “the on-again, off-again potential merger between MetroPCS Communications and Leap (Cricket) Wireless” that might be on again.
With Sprint Nextel’s recent buyout of Virgin Mobile and just this past week watching the merger in the UK between Orange and T-Mobile take place, it is no wonder that analysts are talking about MetroPCS and Cricket. Kim makes a great point in his post by suggesting that this price-war between the two carriers can’t be good for either company for an extended period of time. It only makes reasonable business sense that the two carriers will have to make some move in the near future to avoid the “race to zero.”
I for one would applaud a merger between the two companies. Better yet, I’d like to see some smaller regional wireless providers like Pocket Communications and US Cellular included in that merger – that would give the larger carriers a reason to step up their efforts and provide more competitive products in the market.
Brian Kirk
VP Business Development
NetworkIP
Posted on 18. Aug, 2009 by Brian Kirk in NetworkIP Blog
We wouldn’t be the Gladiators of Prepaid if we just sat back and kept quiet. If you are coming to the Prepaid Press Expo this year you’ll have a number of opportunities to meet NetworkIP.
You’ll always be able to find one of us at booth 323 from sunrise to sunset this Tuesday – Thursday. We also have a number of speaking engagements planned throughout the duration of this year’s event.
Our CEO, Pete Pattullo will appear twice on Tuesday. First at 10:00 AM, Pete will talk about “Prepaid Virtual Operators – Turnkey Hosted Solutions for Card Providers.” Then later in the afternoon at 1:30 PM Pete will talk about “New Developments in Prepaid Technology – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.”
On Wednesday and Thursday morning, Nichole Janner, our VP of Prepaid Services & I (Brian Kirk), VP of Business Development will have show floor presentations. Nichole is keeping her presentation under wraps for now. I’ll be talking about the Prepaid Mobile Space and providing insight on what has occurred in just the past 6-months and how the prepaid calling card industry can best leverage the prepaid mobile space.
If your tied up during the day, then you still have a chance to catch up with one of us from 3:00 – 5:00 PM on Wednesday during the Gladiators of Prepaid Happy Hour Lounge at booth 512 – 514 which we are sponsoring.
We look forward to meeting you at the show.
Brian Kirk
VP Business Development
NetworkIP
Posted on 01. Apr, 2009 by Brian Kirk in NetworkIP Blog
The annual CTIA conference kicked off in Las Vegas earlier today. Due to a conflict I was unable to make it for opening day, however, I’ll be on the conference floor both Thursday and Friday of this week.
According to today’s press releases about the show’s attendance more than 1,000 folks have registered to attend this event. Of the many wireless/mobile conferences in the U.S., I highly recommend you check out CTIA in the future if you have never attended before.
I first went to CTIA in 2007 when we were in our early stages of developing our Text-to-Talk products. My focus when attending CTIA that first time was to meet with all the major Short Messaging Service Center (SMSC) providers like Click-a-Tell, Sybase 365, VeriSign, etc. in order to establish SMS Points of Presence in the different countries we were targeting for these products.
While at the 2007 CTIA conference, I couldn’t help but be distracted by what was then a plethora of new mobile technologies. I’m referring to smart phones, mobile TV, voice-mail to text services, GPS, etc. Now, only two years later, we have 3G technologies, 4G and LTE networks are being engineered, and the end-all be-all game changer the Apple iPhone now exists and in my opinion is the ultimate Unified Communication tool for the consumer.
Given the poor economic climate we are currently in, the telecom industry has been no stranger to numerous layoffs, cutbacks, and even some Chapter 11s. So, as I prepare for CTIA tomorrow I’m trying to remain optimistic about the new technologies and services that the mobile operators and MVNOs will unveil. I suspect this industry to be focused more on providing value and savings to the consumer versus new and innovative services. In recent months numerous MVNOs have begun offering unlimited calling plans and they are in a fast paced race to gain market share. Reducing customer churn is also high on the priority list for all mobile operators and MVNOs right now.
In late February ‘09, Stacey Higginbotham of GigaOM assembled a Wireless Scorecard based on Q4 ’08 statistics from AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon. Based on Stacey’s breakdown she concludes that cheap rate plans win and that the iPhone is helping to keep AT&T running strong. To note, these numbers were released just prior to Sprint and T-Mobile releasing their $50 unlimited prepaid plans so this year’s Q1 numbers should answer whether those plans proved successful or not.
Tomorrow I’ll have a better since of what’s happening and how the carriers are responding. I remain optimistic and look forward to CTIA ’09 along with the other 1,000 attendees that I’ll be sharing the conference floor with.
Brian Kirk
VP Business Development
NetworkIP