FTS Selected as the Interconnect Billing Provider by Starcomms

17 Mar 2009 09:00 Africa/Lagos


FTS Selected as the Interconnect Billing Provider by Starcomms

Nigeria's Largest 3G CDMA Mobile Network Upgrades to FTS' Leap Interconnect

HERZLIYA, Israel, March 17/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FTS (LSE: FTS), a global provider of Billing, CRM and Business Control solutions for communications and content service providers, today announced that Starcomms Ltd., Nigeria's largest 3G CDMA mobile network, has again selected FTS as its interconnect billing provider. Starcomms deployed FTS' Leap(TM) Interconnect to support its rapidly growing subscriber base, and to ensure accounting accuracy of its growing interconnect revenues.


The new implementation offers Starcomms a range of interconnect services, including retrieval of mediation records from the operator's mobile switch, rating of these records as well as generating and printing bills for Starcomms' interconnect partners. Leap Interconnect also provides Starcomms with innovative reporting and settlements capabilities as a result of its ability to flexibly integrate with other Starcomms applications.


"Our focus on innovative solutions was the reason for selecting FTS' interconnect billing solution a few years ago," said Hashem Sallam, Starcomms' Billing Manager. "As we expand the reach of our network and services, and our subscriber base continues to grow, our interconnect services have become a major revenue stream. Leap Interconnect provides us with all of the billing capabilities that we need as we continue to expand, and we are pleased to be working with a trusted vendor like FTS to ensure the accuracy of our interconnect accounting."


"This upgrade to Leap Interconnect is testimony to the strength of our relationship with Starcomms," said Shamir Efrony, Africa Sales Director, FTS. "In addition to expanding our relationship with Starcomms, it also illustrates our ongoing commitment to the Nigerian market in particular and the African continent in general. FTS' strategic focus on Africa means that we spare no effort in continuing to support our African customers with world class solutions."


About Starcomms Ltd.


Starcomms Ltd., Nigeria's largest CDMA 3G mobile network, is a provider of one-stop telecommunication solutions for mobile and fixed market segments. Providing mobile, fixed, customized and value-added services to the Nigerian individual and corporate market, Starcomms has a subscriber base of over 1,000,000 and still growing. Starcomms is the first operator to launch 3G EVDO mobile broadband in Nigeria and West Africa. Starcomms is the first CDMA operator to introduce the use of RUIM cards, and the first operator to launch instant messenger on mobiles in Nigeria. Starcomms.


About FTS


FTS (LSE: FTS) is a leading provider of Billing, CRM and Business Control solutions for communications, content and service providers. By analyzing events from a business standpoint rather than just billing them, FTS allows providers to better understand their customer base and leverage business value from every event and interaction. FTS deploys its full range of end-to-end, stand-alone and add-on solutions to customers in over 40 countries and has implemented solutions in wireless, wireline, cable, content and broadband markets including multiple cross-network installations. Serving the evolving needs of both traditional and next generation service providers, the company's operations comprise four international R&D locations and strategically-located sales support offices worldwide. For more information please visit http://www.fts-soft.com/.



For further information please contact:
Sonus PR: Martin Smith, Tel. +44-20-7851-4821, martin.smith@sonuspr.com
FTS: Moshe Peterfreund, Tel. +972-9-952-6500, press@fts-soft.com




Source: FTS

For further information please contact: Sonus PR: Martin Smith, Tel. +44-20-7851-4821, martin.smith@sonuspr.com; FTS: Moshe Peterfreund, Tel. +972-9-952-6500, press@fts-soft.com

China-Africa Development Fund Opens First Office in Africa

16 Mar 2009 11:15 Africa/Lagos

China-Africa Development Fund Opens First Office in Africa

JOHANNESBURG, March 16/PRNewswire/ --


- Major Step for Sino-African Cooperation


The China-Africa Development Fund (CADFund) opened the first representative office in Johannesburg, South Africa today. The Fund will boost economic development in Africa by encouraging investment by Chinese enterprises. Its creation stems from President Hu Jintao's pledge at the China-Africa Cooperation summit in 2006.


According to Chen Yuan, Chairman of the Board of the China Development Bank, the Fund is the first of its kind. It will encourage Chinese companies to invest in multiple industries, leading to an improved quality of life for residents throughout Africa.


The China-Africa Development Fund is a 5 billion US Dollar fund. The China Development Bank invested $1 billion, which is the fund's first phase of capital. Since its establishment in June 2007, the CADFund has facilitated over 20 investments in Africa, amounting to nearly 400 million US Dollars.


Several high-level Chinese and South African government officials and business leaders attended the office opening ceremony, including African National Congress president Jacob Zuma, China Development Bank Chairman Chen Yuan, CADFund CEO Chi Jianxin, and Zhong Jianhua, China's Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa. In total, over 300 guests were present at the event.


The creation of the China-Africa Development Fund's Representative Office in South Africa is a further step to help facilitate CADFund's investments in Africa. The CADFund aims to establish Representative Offices throughout Africa in the future to further promote economic cooperation between China and Africa and to bring about mutual benefits.


About the China-Africa Development Fund:


The China-Africa Development Fund (CADFund) is a US$5 billion equity investment fund in China focusing on investments in Africa. Established on June 26, 2007, with initial funding of US$1 billion from the China Development Bank, CADFund operates independently and assumes sole responsibility for its profits and losses. Among the investments concluded by CADFund: cotton planting and processing facility in Malawi, 560,000kW scalable power station in Ghana, glass factory in Ethiopia, Egyptian Suez Trade Park, and Nigerian Lachish Trade Zone.



For more information, please contact:

Maria Guimaraes
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide Beijing
Email: Maria.guimaraes@ogilvy.com
Tel: +86-10-8520-3094

Mikko Lan
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide Beijing
Email: Mikko.lan@ogilvy.com
Tel: +86-10-8520-6560




Source: The China-Africa Development Fund

Maria Guimaraes of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide Beijing, Maria.guimaraes@ogilvy.com, or +86-10-8520-3094; or Mikko Lan of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide Beijing, Mikko.lan@ogilvy.com, or +86-10-8520-6560


12 Mar 2009
13:30
IPC The Hospitalist Company Presents IPC Hospitalist of the Year Award to Tim Osonma, M.D.

Invest in America--Before it's Too Late

In the March 23 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, March 16): "I Want You to Start Spending!" Daniel Gross writes about how we, as consumers, need to start taking risks again in the economy and start spending to help the recovery. Plus: Mexican drug cartel violence spreads north of the U.S. border; investigating Americans' Swiss bank accounts; the decline of Iraq's Kurdistan; how to choose the right procedure for an ailing heart and Prince's big online bet. (PRNewsFoto/Newsweek) NEW YORK, NY UNITED STATES 03/15/2009

15 Mar 2009 16:56 Africa/Lagos


NEWSWEEK Cover: I Want You to Start Spending!

Invest in America--Before it's Too Late

We've All Lost The Taste For Risk; For Our Economy To Recover and Thrive, 'Hoarders must open our wallets and become consumers, and businesses must once again be willing to roll the dice,' writes Daniel Gross

'We've gone from age of entitlement to age of thrift,' says PIMCO CEO

NEW YORK, March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- With the economy in its 16th month of recession and the markets cut in half, it seems we've all lost the taste for risk, writes Newsweek Senior Editor Daniel Gross in the current issue. "In the grip of a bubble mentality, we -- as investors, consumers and businesses -- blithely assumed risk and convinced ourselves it was perfectly safe to do so," he writes. But now, "the zeitgeist has spun 180 degrees. Squeeze your nickels, slash debt, stop gambling," Gross writes in the March 23 Newsweek cover, "I Want You to Start Spending!" (on newsstands Monday, March 16). "For our $14 trillion economy to recover and thrive, hoarders must open their wallets and become consumers, and businesses must once again be willing to roll the dice."


(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090315/NYSU004 )


In his essay, Gross explains how not spending anything now could mean bigger problems in the future. The rush to hoard cash and pinch pennies is understandable, given that some $13 trillion in net worth evaporated between mid-2007 and the end of 2008, Gross writes. "But while it makes complete microeconomic sense for families and individual businesses, the spending freeze and collective shunning of nonguaranteed investments is macroeconomically troubling. Especially if it persists once the credit crisis passes."


"The precautionary behavior of every entity in the global economy has gone up," Mohamed El-Arian, CEO of the giant bond-investment fund PIMCO, tells Newsweek. "We've gone from an age of entitlement to an age of thrift."


Gross writes that nobody is advocating a return to the debt-fueled days of "4,000-square-foot second homes, $1,000 handbags and $6 specialty coffees. But in our economy, in which 70 percent of activity is derived from consumers, we do need our neighbors to spend. Otherwise we fall into what economist John Maynard Keynes called the 'paradox of thrift.' If everyone saves during a slack period, economic activity will decrease, thus making everyone poorer. We also need to start investing again not necessarily in the stocks of Citigroup or in condos in Miami. But rather to build skills, to create skills, to create the new companies that are so vital to growth, and to fund the discovery and development of new technologies."


Economists warn that if we don't manage to jolt the economy back into life soon, we run the risk of repeating Japan's so-called "lost decade" of the 1990s, Gross writes. Would that be so bad? After all, while Japan endured a prolonged period of slow growth, nobody starved, there was no social unrest in the aging country, and its biggest companies continued to innovate. But America is different. Thanks to our continually rising population, we need significant growth just to maintain our standards of living -- and the health of our democracy. "When people experience progress in their material living standards and they have some degree of optimism that it will continue, they're inclined to support public policies that reflect tolerance, opening of opportunity and commitments to democracy," says Benjamin Friedman, a Harvard economist and author of "The Moral Consequences of Growth."


A second moral imperative demands that America get back on the growth track, Gross writes. "The U.S. remains the single largest source of demand. Until America emerges from its bunker, the global economy -- facing its first year of contraction since World War II -- is likely to remain moribund."


(Read cover at www.Newsweek.com)


http://www.newsweek.com/id/189232


Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090315/NYSU004
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
PRN2
Source: Newsweek

CONTACT: Jan Angilella of Newsweek, +1-212-445-5638


Web Site: http://www.newsweek.com/

Madoff Securities Fraud Case
U.S. Ad Spending Fell 2.6% in 2008, Nielsen Reports
St. Patrick's Day
Fortune Magazine's Most Admired Companies

MELTDOWN: "There is no better book to read on the present crisis."

Meltdown: A Free-Market Look at Why the Stock Market Collapsed, the Economy Tanked, and Government Bailouts Will Make Things Worse (Hardcover)

"There is no better book to read on the present crisis."



Many Americans are looking to the new administration to solve our economic problems. Unfortunately, that is probably a vain hope. Although we were promised "change," we are only getting a continuation of the same superficial economic fixes that have damaged so many economies in the past, and that will only delay the return of prosperity.

These fixes are based on the false belief that the free-market economy has failed. But it is not the market that has failed. It is intervention into the market that has failed. The Federal Reserve and its manipulation of money and interest rates have failed. None of this can be blamed on the free market.

That's why Meltdown, a New York Times bestseller, is so important. This book actually gets things right. It correctly identifies our problems, their causes, and what we should do about them. It treats the architects of this debacle not with the undeserved reverence they receive in Washington and on television, but with the critical eye that is so conspicuously missing from our supposedly independent thinkers in academia and the media.

In a short span, Tom introduces the layman to a range of subjects that have been excluded from our national discussion for much too long. Among many other things, Tom explains Austrian business cycle theory, which he correctly identifies as the single most important piece of economic knowledge for Americans to have right now. In so doing, Tom provides Americans with the most persuasive and rational account of how we got here. Only if we correctly assess the causes of the debacle can we hope to propose a path to recovery that might actually work and not simply prolong the agony.

Our years of living beyond our means, of buying everything on credit and on money printed out of thin air, are over. Sure, our government will carry on with its nonsensical policy of curing indebtedness with more indebtedness, inflation with more inflation, but the game is up. It's not going to work. The resources aren't there. The more we intervene and the more we prop up economic zombies, the worse off we'll be. But the sooner we understand what has happened, assess our economic situation honestly, and rebuild our economy on a sound foundation, the sooner our fortunes will be restored.

Ideas still matter, and sound economic education has rarely been as urgently necessary as it is today. There is no better book to read on the present crisis than this one, and that is why I am delighted to endorse it.

Sincerely,

Rep. Ron Paul


Click below to buy Meltdown and save 30% or more off bookstore prices!

Nigerians Report Soccer News

Lying In The Name of God: When Ndi Okereke-Oyiuke Lied

Mrs. Ndi Okereke-Oyiuke

Lying In The Name of God: When Ndi Okereke-Oyiuke Lied

“We thank God that our market did not meltdown as much as many of the advanced stock markets. We thank God that the whirlwind did not blow too hard on our side at a time when several global giants closed shop.”
~ Mrs. Ndi Okereke-Oyiuke, Director-General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, (NSE) on Monday January 12, 2009.

How can Ndi Okereke-Oyiuke say the Nigerian Capital Market did not do badly in 2008, when the Nigerian capital market crashed woefully?

The erroneous and ambiguous rating of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank and Standard & Poor as the 11th out of the 106 exchanges in the world is not an endorsement of the Nigerian capital market and does not mean that the Director-General of the NSE did not lie.

According to the report of Mr. A.G. Olisaemeka, the meltdown of the Nigerian capital market led to the crash of the market capitalization from a record high of N13.5 trillion in early 2008 to less than N4.5 trillion in early 2009.

Both Mr. Chukwuma C. Soludo, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Mrs. Ndi Okereke-Oyiuke have erred and lied about the state of Nigerian banks and the Nigerian capital market, because their statements have been proved to be false by the facts of the prevailing realities of the Nigerian economy.

Corruption is the bane of Nigerian banks and the anathema of anyone who is a true patriotic citizen of Nigeria. It is within the ambit of the Governor of the apex bank and the DG of the NSE to direct the course of the Nigerian economy by being honest and transparent, but they have become either shareholders or apologists of the corrupt leaders and investors who are the cankerworms of corruption in Nigeria. Their erroneous analysis of the financial crisis is the wrong diagnosis of the Nigerian economy. Their comparative analysis of the global financial crisis is wrong.

The meltdown of the Nigerian capital market is as bad as the ones Mrs. Okereke-Onyiuke called “global giants”, because the meltdown caused the massive withdrawal of foreign investors from the Nigerian capital market. But while the governments of the so called “global giants” have already implemented practical bailout plans, the Nigerian government is lagging behind in the implementation of an effective economic stimulus plan. In fact, presently, the Nigerian government is confused.

I have already passed a Vote of No Confidence on the corruption-ridden banks in Nigeria, except for the bank I can vouch for, Guaranty Trust bank (GTB). I do not need any pink account where the colour is tainted with the bad blood of blood money from illegal oil bunkering, misappropriation of public funds meant for Nigerian General Hospitals, Teaching Hospitals and Health Centres, and the embezzlement of the public funds meant for the construction of safe roads and regular power supply. The same criminals and enemies of the state who embezzled these public funds are the major shareholders and investors in Nigerian banks and other listed companies. These same criminals love using the name of God at their Annual General Meetings (AGMs) while smiling and still lying through their teeth in their annual reports.

There is time for everything, and the clock is ticking for D-Day, when we shall know for whom the bell tolls, for their judgment shall be according to their violation of the commandment: "You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name”. Except they are fools. But as fools lie, so fools die.
Finis.

Anarchy In The Economy:No Dollar To Buy

Which way Nigeria in 2009:Economy in shambles
Vanguard Online Edition - Saturday, 14 March 2009

© Vanguard Online Edition

Communications Markets in Nigeria

Sony Ericsson W995 Walkman™

10 Mar 2009 14:19 Africa/Lagos

Nigeria is Now Africa's Biggest Mobile Telecom Market, Pyramid Research Reports

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- With more than 61 million subscribers, Nigeria has now surpassed South Africa as the largest mobile telecom market in Africa, and continued growth over the next five years is expected to trigger more intense competition among a growing number of network operators, according to a new report from Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com), the telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network (www.lightreading.com).


"Communications Markets in Nigeria" offers a complete analysis of the country's converged telecommunications, media, and technology sectors based on exclusive and proprietary data from Pyramid's research in the Nigerian market. The 28-page report provides detailed competitive analysis of both the fixed and mobile sectors, tracks the market shares of technologies and services, and monitors the introduction and spread of new technologies such as WiMax, IPTV, and VoIP. The study offers a detailed forecast of the Nigerian communications market by analyzing key trends, evaluating near-term opportunities, and assessing upcoming risks factors.


Download an excerpt of this report here:
http://www.pyramidresearch.com/downloads.htm?id=18&sc=PRCIR031009_NIG



The Nigerian telecom market grew by 23 percent (in US dollar value) in 2008, generated $8.4 billion in overall telecom service revenues, notes Yejide Onabule, analyst at Pyramid Research and author of the report. "With mobile subscriber penetration at just 42 percent, Nigeria's total telecom revenue is expected to increase at a CAGR of 5.7 percent from US$8.42 billion in 2008 to $11.14 billion in 2013," Onabule says.


Since liberalization of the market in 2003, Nigeria's telecom industry has experienced exceptional growth rates, which is attracting new operators. "The bulk of service revenue will continue to come from mobile, which will generate 83 percent of total service revenue over the next five years," Onabule adds.


"Suppliers of mobile network technologies are likely to benefit from more aggressive rollouts of mobile voice and data services, and demand for CDMA and GSM base stations is expected to remain strong over the next several years."


"Communications Markets in Nigeria" is part of Pyramid Research's Africa and Middle East Country Intelligence Report Series. Pyramid Research's premium Country Intelligence Reports are the industry's best available analysis on market trends, regulatory environments, and competitive dynamics for 60 countries worldwide.


Download an excerpt of this new report here:
http://www.pyramidresearch.com/downloads.htm?id=18&sc=PRCIR031009_NIG



"Communications Markets in Nigeria" is priced at $990 and can be purchased online here


http://www.pyramidresearch.com/store/CIRNIGERIA.htm?sc=PRCIR031009_NIG or through Dave Williams via email at dave.williams@pyr.com or telephone at +1 858-485-8870.


For more information about Pyramid Research's products and services, please visit www.pyr.com or contact us at info@pyr.com.


About Pyramid Research


Pyramid Research (http://www.pyr.com/) offers practical solutions to the complex demands our clients face in the telecommunications, media, and technology industries. Our analysis is uniquely positioned at the intersection of emerging markets, emerging technologies, and emerging business models, powered by the bottom-up methodology of our market forecasts for over 100 countries - a distinction that has remained unmatched for over 25 years. As the telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network, Pyramid Research works with Heavy Reading, providing the communications industry's most comprehensive market data, trusted research, and insightful technology analysis.


About Light Reading


Founded in 2000, Light Reading (http://www.lightreading.com/) is the leading online media, research, and focused event company serving the $3 trillion worldwide communications market. Lightreading.com is the ultimate source for technology and financial analysis of the communications industry, leading the media sector in terms of traffic, content, and reputation. Light Reading's research arms, Heavy Reading and Pyramid Research, provide the most comprehensive communications research, market data, and technology analysis in close to 100 markets around the world. Light Reading produces nearly 20 targeted communications events including TelcoTV, Ethernet Expo New York and Ethernet Expo London, The Tower Summit @ CTIA, and Optical Expo, as well as focused one-day events tailored for cable, mobile, and wireline executives. Light Reading was acquired by United Business Media in August 2005 and operates as a unit of TechWeb.


About TechWeb


TechWeb (http://techweb.com/aboutus), the global leader in business technology media, is an innovative business focused on serving the needs of technology decision-makers and marketers worldwide. TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today, more than 13.3 million* business technology professionals actively engage in our communities created around our global face-to-face events, Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat, and VoiceCon; online resources such as the TechWeb Network, Light Reading, Intelligent Enterprise, InformationWeek.com, bMighty.com, and The Financial Technology Network; and the market leading, award-winning InformationWeek, TechNet Magazine, MSDN Magazine, and Wall Street & Technology magazines. TechWeb also provides end-to-end services including next-generation performance marketing, integrated media, research, and analyst services. TechWeb is a division of United Business Media, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.


*13.3 million business decision-makers: based on number of monthly connections About United


About United Business Media Limited (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/)


United Business Media Limited (UBM) is a global media and marketing services company that informs markets and brings the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print, and with the information they need to do business successfully. UBM serves professional and commercial communities, from IT professionals to doctors, from journalists to jewelry dealers, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. UBM employs more than 6,500 people in more than 30 countries. UBM's businesses operating in the US include CMPMedica, Commonwealth Business Media, Everything Channel, PR Newswire, RISI, TechInsights, TechWeb and Think Services. UBM is listed on the London Stock Exchange (UBM.L) and has a market capitalization of $2.5 billion.


Press Contact:
Jennifer Baker
+1 617 871-1910
jbaker@pyr.com


Source: Pyramid Research

CONTACT: Jennifer Baker, +1-617-871-1910, jbaker@pyr.com


Web Site: http://www.pyr.com/

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MasterCard Worldwide Remains Top Corporate Card and Expense Services Provider According to Global Finance Magazine

12 Mar 2009 15:00 Africa/Lagos

MasterCard Worldwide Remains Top Corporate Card and Expense Services Provider According to Global Finance Magazine

PURCHASE, N.Y., March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- MasterCard Worldwide has been named the "Best Corporate Cards and Expense Services Provider" by Global Finance magazine for the third consecutive year. The award was bestowed to MasterCard for innovative solutions that enable value and efficiency in commercial payments. MasterCard was selected by the publication's editors who incorporate input from industry analysts, corporate executives and technology experts in determining the award's recipient. The results of the exclusive survey are published in the March 2009 issue of the magazine.


(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061031/MCLOGO )


The award highlights MasterCard's leadership as a premier provider of commercial payment solutions that provide actionable information, turnkey integration and unmatched optimization benefiting issuers, merchants and their corporate customers around the world.


"At MasterCard, we continue to advance commerce globally by creating more advanced methods of payment. Our unified structure allows us to leverage insights and innovation from all corners of the world," said Steve Abrams, Global Product Group Executive, Commercial Products, MasterCard Worldwide. "We are honored to have been recognized by this panel of industry experts for our efforts. We understand the pressures our customers face in this economic environment and remain committed to developing payment solutions that help them derive real business value."


MasterCard develops end-to-end payment solutions for large corporations, small and mid-sized businesses as well as public sector agencies around the world. At a time when cost savings are top of mind, MasterCard is working closely with issuers, merchants and acquirers to deliver customized products and services that help companies and agencies effectively manage and optimize their businesses.


"In today's challenging global economic environment, companies need the best tools and advice available to make their businesses run more efficiently than ever," says Global Finance publisher Joseph D. Giarraputo. "Our awards identify the banks and providers of products and services that consistently improve transaction processes to speed collections and reduce risks. MasterCard was awarded the best Corporate Card and Expense Services Provider because their solutions enable companies to get the most out of their capital and resources."


Factors considered in selecting the winners included profitability, market share and reach, customer service, competitive pricing and product innovation.


About MasterCard Worldwide


MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes approximately 21 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial institution customers and merchants. Through its family of brands, including MasterCard(R), Maestro(R) and Cirrus(R), MasterCard serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information go to www.mastercard.com.


About Global Finance


Global Finance, which marks its 22nd year of publishing in 2009, has 50,000 subscribers and more than 254,000 readers in 158 countries. This audience includes chairmen, presidents, CEOs, CFOs, treasurers, and other financial officers responsible for making investments and strategic business decisions for global companies and financial institutions. Global Finance also targets the 8,000 key portfolio investors who control over 80% of all assets under professional management. http://www.gfmag.com/.


Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061031/MCLOGO
Source: MasterCard Worldwide

CONTACT: Naya Larsson of MasterCard Worldwide, +1-914-249-3916,
naya_larsson@mastercard.com , or Kaitlin Jaxheimer of Weber Shandwick,
+1-212-445-8261, kjaxheimer@webershandwick.com


Web Site: http://www.gfmag.com/




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Rapper Actor Ice-T Joins LG Mobile Phones in Support of the VH1 Save the Music Foundation Public School

RAPPER-ACTOR ICE-T JOINS LG MOBILE PHONES IN SUPPORT OF THE VH1 SAVE THE MUSIC FOUNDATION AT NYC PUBLIC SCHOOL

Check Presentation with LG Mobile, The VH1 Save The Music Foundation, and Ice-T and Chrisette Michele Kicked-off Year-Long Partnership


Ice T


SAN DIEGO March 9, 2009 /PRNewswire/ — LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A, Inc. (LG Mobile Phones) officially kicked-off their year-long partnership with the VH1 Save The Music Foundation by presenting a check for $150,000 yesterday at a public school in New York City. Grammy Award winning rapper and star of Law and Order: SVU Ice-T spoke with students about the role music has played in his life. Grammy Award winning artist Chrisette Michele performed two songs, "Epiphany (I'm Leaving)" co-written by Ne-Yo and "Love Is You" co-written by John Legend. Executives from all organizations were present at the event, including Executive Director of the VH1 Save The Music Foundation Paul Cothran, and Senior Director of Marketing Communications for LG Mobile Phones Tim O'Brien.



LG Mobile Phones joined forces with the VH1 Save The Music Foundation for a one-year, multi-faceted partnership to promote the importance of music education. The partnership will include check presentations at public schools around the county and a national year-long advertising campaign – 'Come Together' – that was funded by LG Mobile Phones to raise awareness about music education and the positive impact it has on children's lives.



"We are very excited to continue our partnership with the VH1 Save The Music Foundation because LG is passionate about the importance of music education," said Tim O'Brien, senior director of marketing communications for LG Mobile Phones. "Together, we hope to continue to improve and restore music education in our public schools."

"Restoring music education in our public schools is an essential cause, and we applaud LG for its continued support of this worthy mission," says Paul Cothran, executive director of the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. "It is important for people to recognize the central role music education has in a student's life and our hope is to help raise awareness through this initiative with LG."

The performance and presentation were held at the City College Academy of the Arts, a New York public school supported by the VH1 Save The Music initiative. A string ensemble from the school performed for the executives, Ice-T, Chrisette Michele and 300 of their fellow students. The group's instruments were all donated by the VH1 Save The Music Foundation in 2006. Ice-T spoke and Chrisette Michele performed two songs for the assembled students. LG also debuted their TV spot showcasing real life students who have benefited from the Foundation.

About LG Electronics Inc.
LG Electronics, Inc. (KSE: 066570.KS) is a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications, employing more than 82,000 people working in 114 operations including 82 subsidiaries around the world. With 2007 global sales of USD 44 billion, LG is comprised of five business units – Home Entertainment, Home Appliance, Air Conditioning, Business Solutions and Mobile Communications. LG is the world's leading producer of mobile handsets, flat panel TVs, air conditioners, front-loading washing machines, optical storage products, DVD players and home theater systems. For more information, please visit www.lge.com.

About LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company
LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company is the world's leading provider of UMTS (WCDMA), CDMA and GSM handsets, which have been designed to improve the value of customer life. With a total range of wired and wireless solutions, the company is rapidly establishing a global presence and growing its international market share in 3G handsets. For more information please visit www.lgmobilephones.com. For more information about the new LG advertising campaign on behalf of the VH1 Save The Music Foundation program, please visit: www.lgformusic.com.

About the VH1 Save The Music Foundation
The VH1 Save The Music Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring instrumental music education programs in America's public schools, and raising awareness about the importance of music as part of each child's complete education. Since 1997, VH1 Save The Music has provided $43 million worth of new musical instruments, donated to more than 1,600 public schools in more than 100 cities around the country, impacting the lives of more than 1.2 million public school students. Now eleven years strong, it is our renewed commitment to donate one hundred million dollars worth of new musical instruments to ensure that even a greater number of students receive a comprehensive music education in the coming decade! To join the movement to First Make Music, Then Make History, visit www.vh1savethemusic.com.

Contacts:
Demetra Kavadeles
(858) 635.5232
dkavadeles@lge.com
Jacqueline Johnson
(310) 248.6192
jacqueline.johnson@ogilvypr.com
Elizabeth Rosenthal
(212) 333.7728 x105
erosenthal@susanblondinc.com