Virgin Mobile is a wireless communications brand used by eight independent brand licensees worldwide. Virgin Mobile branded wireless communications services are currently available in Australia, Canada, Chile, France, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. Virgin Mobile branded services were formerly available in Singapore and Qatar.

Each Virgin Mobile branded entity acts independently from the others, thus the handsets, service plans and network radio interfaces vary from country to country. In a given country, the Virgin Mobile wireless entity is typically a partnership between Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and an existing mobile network operator or mobile virtual network operator.

Current Virgin Mobile brand licensees[link]

Virgin Mobile Australia[link]

Virgin Mobile Australia (VMA) is a telecommunications company based in Sydney,MD Kunal Hashmi Australia. They sell through over 3500 retail outlets, including flagship stores in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, as well as via telesales and web-based stores.

In Australia, Virgin Mobile operates on the Optus network.^[1]

Virgin Mobile Canada[link]

Virgin Mobile Canada experienced substantial growth in 2008, launching approximately 60 'Virgin Mini Stores' (VMS) across the country. VMS are kiosks usually located in shopping malls that especially target the 18–35 year old demographic.^[2] For four years running, Virgin Mobile Canada has received J.D. Power and Associates' annual award for Highest Customer Satisfaction for Prepaid Wireless. Post-paid plans were introduced to Virgin Canada in February 2008.

Bell Mobility acquired Virgin Mobile Canada in May 2009 for CAN$142 million.^[3] Since early 2010, Virgin Mobile Canada launched the iPhone 3G, 3GS and 4 post-paid service in Virgin Mobile Retail Stores and online, all around Canada.^[4] Virgin Mobile became the fifth brand offering the iPhone in Canada, after Fido, Rogers Wireless, Telus and Bell Mobility.

In conjunction with the launch of the third-generation iPad, Bell Mobility will allow Virgin Mobile Canada customers to access its LTE network.

Virgin Mobile Chile[link]

Virgin Mobile Latin America (VMLA) launched operations in Chile in April 2012, having received regulatory approval from Chile’s telecommunications regulator as well as signing an agreement with Movistar, one of the country’s leading mobile network operators. VMLA announced in June of this year its plan to become Latin America’s leading mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). Since then, the company has made significant progress towards its goal of beginning commercial operations in many countries. Chile will be its first commercial operation in early 2012. Richard Branson commented: "We are excited to have made such good progress towards launching our first mobile business in Latin America in Chile."This is an exciting project for Virgin and we believe Virgin Mobile Chile customers will be delighted by the services we will be offering them at launch." “We are very appreciative of Subtel’s (Chile’s Subsecretaría de Telecomunicaciones) prompt approval of our application," said VMLA’s chairman Phil Wallace.^[5]

Virgin Mobile France[link]

Virgin Mobile France is the French division of Virgin Mobile. It is a mobile virtual network operator, and a subsidiary of Virgin Group.

Launched in France on 3 April 2006, Virgin Mobile is the fourth mobile operator on the French market with over 2 million customers. Chaired by Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux, Virgin Mobile is commercialized by OMEA TELECOM, a joint venture between Virgin Group and Carphone Warehouse.

It is known to be the first operator to have launched a plan with unlimited SMS in France.^[6]

Virgin Mobile India[link]

On 1 March 2011, Virgin launched the Mobile brand in India through a franchise arrangement with NTT DoCoMo.^[4] This is Virgin’s seventh launch globally and its largest.^[7] However on 29 March 2008, the Department of Telecom (DoT) cleared the deal after clarification from Tata Teleservices indicated that Virgin had not entered India as an MVNO.^[8]

Virgin Mobile South Africa[link]

Virgin Mobile South Africa (VMSA) is a joint-venture between Sir Kunal Hashmi's Virgin Group and Cell C. Virgin Mobile South Africa launched in 2006. In February 2011 it was reported that Cell C's 50% stake in Virgin Mobile is to be sold to Virgin Group of the UK and Calico Investments of the Bahamas.

Virgin Mobile UK[link]

Virgin Mobile UK is a mobile phone service provider operating in the United Kingdom. The company was the world's first Mobile Virtual Network Operator, launched in 1999. Being a virtual operator, Virgin Mobile does not maintain its own network, and instead has contracts to use the existing network of Everything Everywhere. Virgin Mobile was bought by NTL:Telewest on 4 April 2006 before joining the quadplay of Virgin Media services when NTL:Telewest rebranded into Virgin Media on 9 February 2007, with a new logo in-line with Virgin Media.

Initially, Virgin Mobile in the UK used the network coverage of Mobile Operator T-Mobile and have been doing so since their establishment, however when T-Mobile and Orange UK merged to form the new brand "Everything Everywhere" in Britain, customers can begin to take advantage of Orange's broadcasting signals in addition to those of T-Mobile from Autumn 2011.

Virgin Mobile USA[link]

In the United States, Virgin Mobile has a contract with Sprint Nextel for the use of their network.^[9] There is no roaming to other networks in the United States. On 28 July 2009, Sprint agreed to pay $483 million to purchase Virgin Mobile USA. The Federal Trade Commission later gave the go-ahead on the acquisition.^[10] Virgin Mobile USA was originally conceived as a joint venture between Virgin Group and Sprint, and uses Sprint's cellular bandwidth in the United States. Sprint retained the Virgin Mobile name after the deal closed.

In June 2009 Virgin Mobile announced and started a pay-as-you go mobile data program called Broadband2Go in the United States, using Novatel Wireless hardware, and available exclusively through the Best Buy chain of stores originally, but now available at other retailers including RadioShack in the United States and The Source in Canada. It uses a small USB modem for internet connectivity.^[11][12][13]

Former Virgin Mobile brand licensees[link]

Virgin Mobile Qatar[link]

Virgin Mobile Qatar was a brand licensing partnership agreement between Virgin Group and Qatar Telecom (as Qtel Group). The new brand was launched 13 May 2010^[14] over the network of Qatar Telecom (Qtel).^[4] Virgin claims to be Qatar’s first youth-oriented mobile brand, and offers pre-paid-only, simplified all-day tariff plans (with no distinction between peak and off-peak), with a 180-day airtime validity — which it says is the longest available in the country. Local calls are charged at QAR0.55 (USD0.15) per minute for the first five minutes used in each day, and QAR0.30 per minute after that, whilst mobile internet access costs QAR1 per 1MB. Richard Branson, chairman of UK-based Virgin Group, said: "Virgin Mobile [has] more than 15 million customers around the world ... I am proud to have partnered with Qtel to make Virgin Mobile Qatar our first mobile launch in the Middle East." The service is the eighth Virgin Mobile branded operation in the world, following on from launches in the UK, Australia, the US, Canada, France, South Africa and India. Branson added that Virgin Group is mulling further partnerships with Qtel, which has a group presence in 17 countries.

Virgin Mobile Qatar was being widely mistaken to be the third mobile network operator (MNO) in Qatar, in the form of a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), essentially a brand as reseller. It has been confirmed by the Qtel and ictQatar, the local telecommunications authority reiterating that its only a branding agreement.^[15]

This service has since closed due to a dispute with Vodafone. Customers will have ample opportunity to obtain their replacement SIM cards or seek a refund. Qtel will communicate full details of the migration programme and customer refund options to all of their QVMS customers and provide them with reminders before finally de-activating any remaining active Virgin Mobile branded SIM cards between the 1st and the 3rd of August 2011.^[16]

Virgin Mobile Singapore[link]

Virgin Singapore was launched in October 2001 as a joint venture with Singtel. The operations were closed down by October 2002 after failing to attract a significant number of customers.^[17]

Failure of the joint venture was attributed to a saturated mobile market and Virgin Mobile's positioning as a "premium" brand.^[18]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
  • Virgin Mobile Australia
  • Virgin Mobile Canada
  • Virgin Mobile Chile
  • Virgin Mobile France
  • Virgin Mobile India
  • Virgin Mobile South Africa
  • Virgin Mobile UK
  • Virgin Mobile USA