W W W. K A S A M O R E . C O M
KASAMORE
Keep in Touch
The History of Prepaid Calling Cards
Also known as stored-value calling cards, because the card’s balance has already been paid for, prepaid
calling cards have been around since the mid-seventies. It was first introduced in Italy by SIDA, a
vending manufacturer and distributor. SIDA had been brainstorming ideas of how to combat a
decrease in coins, which affected pay phone usage, and how to prevent pay phone vandalism. The
results were a thin cardboard card that could be inserted into a pay phone, and it would deduct
minutes from your card. On the back of the card was a magnetic stripe that accessed your account
information, very similar to the magnetic stripe that you see on the back of credit cards today.
After several years of modifications to the card, it wasn’t until the 1990s that phone companies started
to manufacture, and distribute phone cards that required toll free access, and PIN numbers. Dialing a
toll free or a local number made it easier for individuals to make long distance calls, and convenient for
travelers to keep in touch while abroad. Although the cost of making a long distance call decreased,
and the cost of operating a telecom business decreased, customers were not satisfied with the prepaid
calling card process, and service.
People were not fond of the large number of digits that needed to be entered while using a prepaid
Ac dolor ac adipiscing amet bibendum, massa
card. Typically, users had to first dial the local access number, then the secret PIN code, followed by
lacus molestie ut libero nec, diam et pharetra
the actual long distance number. Despite the tiring process prepaid calling cards grew in popularity.
As they grew so did users complaints, users typically complained about the following:
sodales eget vitae aliquet.
• Access number and/or PINs don’t work
• Service or access numbers are always busy
• Rates are higher than advertised, and usually have hidden fees
• Companies charge you for calls that don’t go through
• Poor sound and quality connections
• Per-call fees deducted from the time
To combat some of these issues telecom companies now offer online account management prepaid
calling services. These services offer PINless dialing, and can be monitored, and recharged online via
debit or credit card. An example of such a telecom company is, Kasamore. However, what separates
Kasamore from other calling card companies is that there are absolutely NO FEES, we really do offer
low rates, and our sound quality is of the highest standards! While competing companies promise low
rates, they still do not cater to all the needs of their users by addressing many of the aforementioned
issues. Kasamore was created in 2007 to address the issues that other telecom companies fail to
address, and for nearly two years we pride ourselves of addressing the unmet needs of calling card
users.
With increasing innovation in the telecom industry, Kasamore plans on staying abreast by continuously
innovating products, serving an unmet market, and listening to our users.
There is still more to be seen in the telecom industry, and Kasamore plans to be a key player.