STORY TELECOM TO OFFER PRE-PAID
PHONE SERVICES THROUGH ALPHYRA’S RETAILER NETWORK
June 7, 2004
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE) - June 7, 2004 - Story
Telecom Ltd., a partially-owned affiliate of xfone, Inc.
(OTCBB:XFNE),
announced today that it has signed an agreement with alphyra
UK, to offer pre-paid phone services through the UK-wide
network of alphyra PAYzone™ agents.
Under the terms of the agreement, Story Telecom will offer prepaid phone cards to consumers through the alphyra PAYzone™ network of over 13,000 POS terminals. Alphyra’s terminals are used primarily by small to medium sized businesses operating in the retail, hospitality and petrol sectors.
alphyra is a leading provider of electronic payment transaction services and facilities. The business delivers payment and pre-payment solutions through its PAYzone™ branded network of 13,000 retail locations throughout the UK. PAYzone™ has established universal appeal to cellular operators, utility companies, content providers and merchants as well as millions of consumers who benefit from the convenience and wide availability of the network.
Nir Davison, Managing Director of Story said: "We are extremely pleased by the establishment of this relationship with alphyra, one of the leading electronic transaction providers in Europe. Their broad installed base in the U.K. provides us with a significant immediate opportunity while giving us access to their vast network of retail establishments throughout the country, providing us with a substantial number of potential new customers. We are confident that this relationship will prove extremely beneficial in both the short and long term and believe that it will enable us to penetrate additional European markets, opening them to our unique line of products."
Hugh Morrow, sales and marketing director of alphyra UK, said: “This new venture with Story will enable our agents to offer pre-paid services directly through our terminals and is representative of our efforts to offer retailers new and innovative services at the terminal level. Story's service will provide alphyra PAYzone™ agents with increased revenue opportunities and will enable them to better serve their customers. We will offer the widest range of Story options possible, from the standard pre-paid service for both landline and mobile phones to the unique Story Unlimited service, which gives users unlimited access for national and international calls at a fixed rate.”
Story Telecom, Inc specializes in prepaid telecommunications services and possesses a major share of the prepaid telephony market mainly in the UK. Story currently has a network of 100 + distributors offering more than 50 different pre-paid card products in over 25,000 retail locations. Customers are offered a range of tariffs all targeting specific international mobile and land line destinations. The combination of Story in house products development, distribution talents and marketing strategies, has created a perfect window of opportunity for Story international business model. Story has adopted a strategy, which focuses on unique, demographically defined markets and includes the establishment of a physical as well as electronic point of sale presence in such local territories. In so doing, Story can capture a large percentage of the business generated in a particular community and negotiate preferential rates with the major carrier targeting the area in question. Story Telecom successfully launched its Story Unlimited card & account product in January 2004. This unique product launch marked the innovative and first to market approach of Story Telecom, Inc.
www.storytelecom.com
xfone, Inc. is a growing and profitable licensed telecommunications service provider, which leverages its self-developed, proprietary systems and technologies, strategic distribution partnerships, and a proven business model to provide clients with an integrated "One Stop Shop...One Stop Billing" platform for all telecommunications needs. Xfone is an international service provider incorporated in the United States with its main operations in the United Kingdom. The Company's brands and partners include Swiftnet®, Story Telecom®, Auracall® and xfone.com®.
For additional information please visit the Company's
website at www.xfone.com
Information about alphyra UK is available on the Company's
web site www.alphyra.co.uk
About XFONE, Inc.
A U.S.-domiciled corporation, XFONE, Inc. is an international voice, video and data communications services provider with operations in the United Kingdom, the United States and Israel that offers a wide range of services, which include: local, long distance and international telephony services; prepaid and postpaid calling cards; cellular services; Internet services; messaging services (Email/Fax Broadcast, Email2Fax and Cyber-Number); and reselling opportunities. The Company serves customers across Europe, Asia, North, Central and South America, Australia and Africa.
This press release contains forward-looking statements.
The words or phrases "should," "would
be," "will allow," "intends to,"
"will likely result," "are expected to,"
"will continue," "is anticipated,"
"estimate," "project," or similar
expressions are intended to identify "forward-looking
statements." The Company's financial results reflected
above should not be construed by any means as representative
of the current or future value of its common stock.
All information set forth in this press release, except
historical and factual information, represents forward-looking
statements. This includes all statements about the company's
plans, beliefs, estimates and expectations. These statements
are based on current estimates and projections, which
involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties
include issues related to rapidly changing technology
and evolving standards in the industries in which the
Company and its subsidiaries operate; the ability to
obtain sufficient funding to continue operations, maintain
adequate cash flow, profitably exploit new business,
and license and sign new agreements; the unpredictable
nature of consumer preferences; and other factors set
forth in the Company's most recently filed annual report
and registration statement. Readers are cautioned not
to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements,
which reflect management's analysis only as of the date
hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly
revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events
or circumstances that arise after the date hereof. Readers
should carefully review the risks and uncertainties
described in other documents that the Company files
from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
| For More Information, Please Contact: |
 |
| U.S.
IR Contact |
Israel IR Contact |
John Nesbett/Jennifer Beloeau
Institutional Marketing Services (IMS)
Phone: 1.203.972.9200.
E-mail: jnesbett@institutionalms.com |
Zvi Rabin
Kwan Communications
Tel: (Israel) +972 50 560 0140
E-mail: zvi@kwan.co.il |
|
| Xfone Contact |
|
Niv Krikov
Chief Financial Officer
Phone: + 972.39254446 (Israel)
E-mail: E-mail: niv@xfone.com |
|
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