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29 Feb, 2012

“World Tourism Phone” Launched in Mexico

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TEMECULA, Calif., Feb. 27, 2012  /PRNewswire/ — Hop-on, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: HPNN) today announced what it claims to be the first “World Tourism Phone” through its subsidiary, Hop-on Mobile, S. DE R.L. DE C.V. The Company can now have a US or International phone number, with a local Mexican cell number.

Peter Michaels, Hop-on CEO, stated, “Hop-on Mobile Mexico has successfully launched its MVNE (Mobile Virtual Network Enabler) program into the Mexican Market.  Now international travelers can use our phones to make local and long distance calls to loved ones back home or use them as a business solution.  Hop-on is targeting the “Mega Resorts” and travel industries in Mexico. Hop-on’s efforts have been successful in the Cancun area where Hop-on is working with 3 Mega Resorts and one travel provider. Positive responses are resulting in further expansion in Cancun and targeting other tourist areas within Mexico.

“While roaming on my Sprint iPhone in Mexico, I am paying over $2.27 + taxes a minute for a phone call to the US,” Michaels said.  Sprint does not have a roaming agreement in Mexico. For consumers who do have roaming deals with their current carriers, Hop on’s rates are much cheaper. Plus, the customer will not have to worry about losing their US or International cell phone and data plans.

Current Hop on customers traveling in Mexico and needing to know how to add time to their phones can visit www.hop-onmexico.com, according to Michaels.  If a customer does not know the phone number for their phone, customers can simply remove the phone’s battery and log in their IMIE number into our database and get access to their airtime and call history. They also can add airtime to their phones on the site.  Plus, they can use their Visa or Master Card to securely pay for the added minutes.

The Mexican Ministry of Tourism reported the number of air arrivals in December 2011 was up 13 percent compared to the same period in 2010. More than 1.07 million international travelers visited Mexico in December 2011, a record for that month.

Rodolfo Lopez-Negrete, Chief Operating Officer of the Mexico Tourism Board stated previously, “We envisage 2012 will be a record-breaking year for Mexico in terms of tourism numbers. Mexico’s tourism industry is undergoing a stunning transformation – based on a bold strategy of diversification — focused on promoting a broader range of tourism products (i.e. cultural tourism, adventure travel and health related-tourism) aimed at attracting a new breed of global consumer.”