Phonecards:

The issuer is Telecom Italia. The card can be used in other countries too. Only 10,000 made 3,000u front is a church on an island the back has a goalkeeper Atmatsidis it is a football/soccer card also Because of this prepaid card OTE lowered its rates!

/Contributed by Vasilios Spanos, collector/

Olympic Mascot Set of 4: 3,000 made.

500 Days to go till Olympics 2,000 made Phoneaway $20

April/May Collectors' Issue: interesting animal couples: Frog&Butterfly 1000 made Lizard & Cricket 967 made. Hedgehog and snail 1000 made.

Stephen Case bird: 350,000 made drawing

COKE Surf Classic: 40,000 made

Teddy 110,000 made

Ear & mouth 250,000 made

Hockeyroos woemn's team. 30,000 made

Lennox Head pelicans on seashore 65,000 made

Opera House 115,000 made

5 min. Mothers' Day Phoneaway phonecard 800 were distributed to colelctors.

Phoneaways: Avalon Air show: 1,000 made 3 cards

2 Grand Prix cards BMW and Mobil logos 2,650 made of both.

East Meeting West. A set of 3 cards, the first member of the history of Macau set. 2,000 cards were produced. The cards have oriental images from everyday life. The backgrounds are dark brown.

Matáv and its local branches started issuing the new and safe Eurochip phonecards. The new cards are now based on Forints (Hun. Currency), not on units. "The Eurochip phonecard represents the most modern technology, which means, according to our knoweldge it can't be hacked" said a Matav spokesperson. The price of the cards will not change from 800/1800Fts. Old cards can be used till September 30^th. After that date, the old cards will be exchangable at certain locations.

Here are new cards with eurochips.

There is a new chip in use, the thin side-forked ODS chip (ex: Fradi). That is only the 5^th chip used by Matav. That card is also one of the few, that Matav has published with different chips.

/Contributed by Endre Nagy, collector/

Although Infostrada is a new player on the Italian market it has already created more than 20 phonecards in just a few months. The two new sets are:

Golf 3 cards, 5.000 units, mintage: 15.000

Tennis 3 cards, 5.000 units, mintage: 15.000

/Infostrada/

-Cable and Wireless has created more beautiful phonecards. This time, the new cards are from turks and Caicos:

Grand Turk Government Buildings Protel $10 Travel Card

Colonial Heritage $5, $10, $20 Protel Phone Cards

/C&W/

Telephone cards of L4000 and L5000 (2.07 and 2.58 Euros) Design by Studio Expansion Printed polychrome offset by URMET Printing: 25,000 examples of each value.

/SM Tel/

D192 Pöllö Owl (Uusintapainos/Re-print) Mintage:10 000 units: FIM 50

P53 Kings Soccer Club Mintage: 2 000 units: FIM 10;

P54 Eukonkannon MM-kisat Wife Carrying World Championships Mintage: 2 000 units:FIM 10;

Schlumberger Introduces Flexio Off-Street Parking System in North America Flexible, De-CentralizedAccess Control System Provides Cost-Effective

Total Solution for Private Operators, Cities, Colleges, Hospitals, Airports and Other Facilities

International Parking Institute Conference, Schlumberger Smart Cards & Terminals, theworld's leading provider of on-street and off-street parking solutions, today announced the availability of its Flexio access control system in North America. Designed for off-street parking pplications, the cost-effective, flexible system provides a highly reliable, total solution for private operators, cities, colleges, hospitals, airports and other types of facilities.

different units. Its decentralized computer system ensures that the network remains stable regardless of the status of individual units, protecting any loss of critical parking data. Its innovative management software allows changes to be made to the system in real time.

"The Flexio system's flexibility, reliability and reduced operating costs are key factors in ensuring the satisfaction of parking management," stated Dave Witts, marketing manager, Parking Solutions, Schlumberger Smart Cards & Terminals, North America. "Flexio installations can be quickly updated to allow operators to adjust pricing strategies or takeadvantage of new payment methods, such as smart cards." Witts noted that the Schlumberger Flexio

Flexio is a total solution that that includes card-in/card-out gates, pay-on-exit system, pay-on-foot systems, entry and exit gates, central control units, management systems, installation, service and training. The versatile system accepts multiple payment methods,including magnetic stripe cards, coins, bills and credit/debit cards. It has an open-ended design that provides easy upgrades of existing systems, flexible software that allows on-sitechanges in minutes, and a modular design that enables common parts to be used on system is designed to be compatible with the company's multi-spaceparking systems, allowing the same payment methods to be used for on- and off-street applications.

- PR: Telcom NZ seen in box seat for AAPT

Telecom New Zealand (TEL.NZ) has been put in the driver's seat in the chase for Australian telco AAPT Ltd but was expected to wait some months before revealing its hand, analysts and brokers said on Tuesday.

The withdrawal of a hostile A$1.5 billion (US$1 billion) bid for AAPT by larger rival Cable & Wireless Optus Ltd (CWO.AX) after it was rejected by competition authorities left New Zealand's largest stock as the most likely bidder, they said.

Telecom NZ built up a 9.9 percent stake two weeks ago, and was unlikely to be a passive investor.

``I would be surprised if they didn't bid. I can't see any benefit for them in holding 30, 40 or 50 percent,'' said a Melbourne-based analyst.

However, Telecom NZ was unlikely to launch a formal bid for some months as Australian takeover law would require it to offer A$5.70 a share, the price it paid for its initial stake but well above AAPT's share price after C&W Optus's withdrawal.

Shares in AAPT, which has been trading well above C&W Optus' A$5.00 bid, slumped 62 cents or 11.2 percent on Tuesday to A$4.93 as the prospect of a bidding war

evaporated.

C&W Optus' share price rebounded, ending seven cents or 2.4 percent higher at A$3.04 on heavy turnover on relief that it would not enter a bidding war.

And Telecom NZ, New Zealand's largest stock, was also given a boost by the withdrawal, rising 27 cents to NZ$8.18 on the belief it has an open run at AAPT, brokers said.

Any immediate bid was seen unlikely as Australian takeover law requires a company making a takeover bid to offer at least the same price as the highest price paid for the stock in the four months before the offer.

This means Telecom NZ would have to offer A$5.70 if it launched a bid in the next three-and-a-half months.

Several analysts speculated Telecom NZ might look at topping up its stake at current prices on-market, although one said this could be a legal grey area.

An AAPT spokesman confirmed the company was in talks with Telecom NZ, but declined to give any details.

``Any option could be canvassed at this stage,'' he said.

Telecom NZ has said its initial AAPT purchase was aimed at preserving its strategic options, but has not detailed its likely strategy.

Analysts said Telecom NZ could benefit from having its own operation in Australia, although it would be likely to focus on niche markets.

``A desire to get delivery of its own traffic flows out of New Zealand would be a strategic interest for Telecom,'' said a New Zealand based analyst.

However, it would be likely to abandon AAPT's aim of a wide network if it acquired a controlling stake, favouring the main east coast cities, trans Tasman traffic, data and wholesale delivery of Internet.

China plans to set up a giant telecommunications company as part of its plans to end the virtual monopoly of China Telcom, the Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.

China's Ministry of Railways was ready to establish the China Railway Telecommunications and Information Group by using the existing network and equipment of the railway industry, the state-run agency said.

Earlier this month, the official China Securities newspaper said the plan tofound the new company had won widespread support in the Ministry of Information Industry (MII).

Analysts say this is part of China's preparations to enter the World Trade Organisation, which will bring intense competition to the tightly protected market.

Xinhua said the Railway Telecom would ``be able to do exactly what China Telecom does ... and preparations are underway.''

``We have no problems in getting permission and a licence from the State Council, and once approved, the company can provide comprehensive telecommunications services within six to eight months,'' it quoted Railway Ministry official Peng Peng as saying.

Peng, head of a team preparing to set up the Railway Telecom, was quoted as saying telecommunication services would ``become a pillar'' of the money-losing railway industry.

The ministry's network, with 120,000 km (75,000 miles) of telecommunications lines, is only second to that of China Telecom, Xinhua said.

It quoted industry analysts as saying Railway Telecom could expand rapidly and ``easily become the second largest player in China's telecommunications business.''

China Securities said the plan could foster competition in the domestic telecommunications market as reforms underway had not so far created an ``effective competition mechanism.''

China has only three telecommunications firms -- China Telecom and the much smaller China Unicom and China Jitong.

Beijing announced earlier this year it would divide China Telecom into four companies, each responsible for a different service: mobile, paging, fixed-line and satellite.

Last week, Information Industry Minister Wu Jichuan was quoted by state media as saying China would complete the split by the end of this year.

China Telecom has yet to announce a schedule for the restructuring, but industry players said the mobile phone unit could be spun off as early as July.

Xinhua said many of China's other telecommunications networks used for specific purposes, like the railway industry's, would also be ``encouraged to move into commercial areas.''

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) was moving into telecommunications businesses, it said.

Last month, SARFT announced a plan to set up the China Cable Television Networks Corp to conduct telecommunications and cable businesses, the agency said.

Beijing had also approved the establishment of a company by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Railways, SARFT and the Shanghai city government to provide telephone and on-line services.

``China Telecom will soon find stronger competition in telecommunications and may risk losing its monopoly as more competitors enter the market,'' Xinhua said.

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The "WPD news" is the free weekly news service of the Worldwide Phonecard Database (WPD). Copyright WPD 1999 PR is from Reuters