eChinaMobile Appoints Top Industry Veterans to New Strategic Advisory Board


BEIJING and SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - February 19, 2008) - eChinaMobile, a Joint Venture of eChinaCash and Linktone (NASDAQ: LTON), is set to flourish under its new corporate Advisory Board. eChinaMobile, a leading provider of value-added mobile services for the oil, travel and retail industries, has appointed industry executives Alan Cole-Ford, Managing Partner of Stone Drum Capital, Debbie Gamble, President of Gamble Consulting, and Dennis Bennie, Founder of XDL Venture Capital Fund.

Ronald S. Posner, CEO of eChinaCash, said that, "With the addition of this experienced group of industry experts eChinaMobile will equip itself with an impressive mix of marketing, strategic planning, technology and financial skills that add real value to eChinaMobile in the process." The move will also strengthen eChinaCash, as the company employs its eChinaMobile joint venture to move beyond prepaid cards and loyalty programs to mobile product and service offerings that will appeal to eChinaCash's current 18 million card holders. "eChinaMobile's first program, dubbed 'Drive-Smart,' will provide an array of auto-specific products and services, including traffic alerts, roadmaps, auto insurance rates, car-branded merchandise, auto-supplier listings, used-vehicle price quotes, and even short themed entertainment 'blurbs' for Chinese drivers stuck motionless in city traffic."

"This is another important step for eChinaMobile as the Chinese economy moves from cash to credit," said Alan Cole-Ford, Chairman of the Advisory Board. "This should make eChinaCash an attractive strategic partner for credit card companies, banks and mobile payment providers." The Advisory Board will assist both the boards of eChinaMobile and eChinaCash with the ongoing assessment of new strategic partnerships and M&A activities.

Board of Advisors:

Alan Cole-Ford - Chairman

Mr. Cole-Ford brings a very strong media background to the group. He has run business development and corporate strategy portfolios for two of the biggest and best-known media companies in the world, MGM/UA and Paramount. He also played a role in the noteworthy trade sale acquisitions ($1.3b/$6.6b) of both organizations. While Exec V.P. of MGM Inc., he also ran two of the studio's fastest-growing business units, the Consumer Products/Licensing Group and its Interactive Media/Videogames Division. On the heels of MGM's sale, Cole-Ford spent two years as CEO of NVST Inc., a Seattle-based private equity research firm. Previously, he had served nearly ten years in the Paramount organization in a variety of posts, including V.P. of its Video Division, Senior V.P. of its Television Group, and ultimately Vice-President of its NYC-based parent company, Gulf+Western, leading up to its eventual acquisition by Viacom.

Debbie Gamble

With more than 25 years of business strategy experience in the international payments area, Gamble specializes in emerging products such as mobile, prepaid, contactless chips. She previously co-founded and served as SVP for Strategy & Products at Dexit, Inc., a contactless prepaid payment services company where she completed an IPO. Gamble has consulted for a number of Fortune 500 companies such as Visa International, Visa Canada and Bell Canada.

Dennis Bennie

Mr. Bennie is a pioneer, entrepreneur and innovator in the technology industry. Over the past 20 years, Bennie's entrepreneurial management has powered Mission Electronics, Ingram Canada and Delrina. In 1997, he founded the XDL Venture Capital Fund, focusing on information technology opportunities. The $25 million fund has yielded exceptional returns to date. One of its most noteworthy investments was a 1997 start-up, Delano Technology Corporation. XDL Intervest, a $150 million fund, was started in 1999 and is now fully invested. Bennie currently manages an experienced team investing in private equity opportunities as the XDL Capital Group.

About eChinaCash

Based in Beijing, China, eChinaCash is a leading provider of affinity-based payment cards, loyalty programs and customized database marketing solutions for large Chinese corporations in the transportation, telecom, consumer finance and oil industries. These programs are designed to increase product sales, enhance brand image, and improve consumer retention, customer loyalty and cash management control.

Contact Information: Contact Info: Xenia von Wedel Terpin Communications for eChinaCash (415) 595 2030