U. offers calling card to students

Watch out AT&T;, MCI and Sprint, the Penn PhonePass has arrived on campus. For only $10, students can purchase this plastic card with the University's insignia and become instantly connected to the world. The Penn PhonePass is a customized calling card that allows students to make local, long distance and international phone calls from almost any phone at any time. Students buy the PhonePass pre-programmed with 30 minutes of free phone time donated by The Book Store and Penntrex. When the time runs out, the caller can recharge the card with a major credit card. At the end of April, the University contracted Networks Around the World, a company that provides customized phone cards, to develop the Penn PhonePass. The card was introduced to campus after arriving in the Bookstore September 9. The president of Networks Around the World, Randy Cherkas, a 1984 Wharton alum, said last week his company's card holds many advantages over the conventional calling card. "The card has no surcharge, is budget-oriented, and is more secure [than conventional cards]," Cherkas said. "The first issue with a specialized design may someday even be a collector's item. In Europe and Asia, phone cards are already collectors' items." The card also has the ability to prompt the caller in nine languages, ranging from English to Japanese. And this card has a built-in safety feature for its users, Cherkas said. "One advantage is that there's no fraud," he said. "If someone steals the card from you, they're limited to the time on the card." The cards were sold to the University wholesale by Cherkas's company. The University will sell the cards at retail prices, but will not seek a large profit, in order to keep the price down, said Marie Witt, director of Support Services for Business Services at the University. Over the summer, phone cards were offered to students taking classes and attending various programs in order to test the market, Witt said. She added that the results were positive. "The phone cards gave the students a sense of comfort," said Witt. "They put a deposit on the phone cards and had the ability to make calls from their rooms -- it was convenient." Witt, who is coordinating the project from the University's end, said international students will especially benefit from the card. International calls made using the card are relatively cheap, according to Cherkas. He added that the rates are constant, regardless of the time or origin of call. And the caller can also call from about forty different countries for 30 cents to $1.80 per minute. Although the Penn PhonePass is one of the first phone cards offered at the University, the idea is not altogether new. Several phone companies approached the University with phone card ideas. But Networks Around the World provided the University with the best deal, Witt said. Witt summed up the PhonePass deal -- "more features with the better price."