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How International Prepaid Calling Cards Started
2007/08/17 14:46:41 by lets_j2top@yahoo.com of Lets jump top
How International Prepaid Calling Cards
Started
There are millions of international prepaid calling cards
being sold and used everyday. You may be wondering how it all began.
Although international prepaid calling cards have become a powerhouse technological
system generating billions of dollars, you might be surprised to know that it
was first developed three decades ago. The history of prepaid calling cards is
as interesting and amusing as other modern invention stories that you may have
heard before. The cards were originally made in Europe then reached America
after a decade. Today, almost every nation in the world has a variety of
international prepaid calling cards available.
The 70’s
In 1975 SIDA, a producer and distributor of vending machines in Italy
began experimenting with the idea of making calling cards. The idea was to
replace coins being used for payphones since medal coins were in shortage and
theft and vandalism was rampant. The first batch of made prepaid calling cards
were released into the market in 1976.
These were very slim cards from cardboards and got stuck on more than one
occasion. They operated via a magnetic strip at the back of the card that can
be scanned by new special phones upon insertion of the card. The idea of paying
per minute was already incorporated in this pioneer batch.
In 1977, the popularity of the new prepaid calling cards rose after one year
and nearby countries in Europe like Sweden,
France, the United Kingdom and Austria also started using the
system and manufacturing cards. The magnetic strip validation was the key trait
of the cards. A year later, Nelson G. Bardini from Brazil used inductive technology to
improve international prepaid calling cards. There are sequences of coils that
identified how much is used up in the card.
The 80’s
The new cards using inductive technology was presented at the national
inventors’ exhibition in 1982. Japan
also began manufacturing prepaid calling cards which sold several thousands
daily. The Nippon Telephone and Telegraph company was the first in Japan
to adapt to the new system. In 1984, France developed the technology by
using chip-based “smart cards”.
Three years later, World Telecom Group, Siemens and General Electric
manufactured magstripe cards which contained information. This is the same
technology used by credit cards today. In 1988, the first catalogue of
telecards was released in England
by Dr. Steve His*censored*s. In 1989, AT&T invested in the system as well
producing several thousands of cards daily.
The 90’s
In 1990, the non-magstripe calling card was made by Regional Bell Operating
Company in New York
which involved dialing a toll-free access number. The caller would then input
the Personal Identification Number or PIN. This new system started the rise of
international prepaid calling cards since it was very versatile and allowed
access to any phone in the world. By 1995, over six hundred million dollars in
sales were made from international prepaid calling cards.
The 2000’s
Sales continued to soar well into the 21st century counting in the billions.
The system replaced most collect call systems and coin payphones and continued
to develop with other gadgets as well like cellular phones and the internet.
With its continuous success, international prepaid calling cards are definitely
here to stay.
Vanessa Arellano Doctorhttp://www.flatrateonline.net
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