Hi there! If you're new to the site, you may want to subscribe to the the feed.

When it comes to incentive based mobile advertising, no one does it better than Virgin Mobile’s Sugar Mama. The deal is simple: You look at ads, respond to text messages, and fill out surveys, and Virgin gives you free minutes. It works great for younger folks who want to cut down on their monthly bills. Virgin has extended Sugar Mama’s reach, as they have launched a Facebook application.

Posted in Virgin Mobile on May 16th, 2008
No Comments

Telephony Online tackles a question that many have been asking: What does Virgin stand to gain from a merger with Helio? Yes, our initial reaction might be that they’re two cool services, and will become one mega-cool service. But I like gum, and I like peanuts, but I wouldn’t go chewing both at the same time. So what does Virgin Mobile and its 5 million customers stand to gain from Helio and their 200,000?

Posted in Virgin Mobile on May 15th, 2008
No Comments

I was actually excited to hear about merger talks between Virgin and Helio, a subsidiary of SK Telecom. Really, the two services seem perfect for each other. Virgin is one of the top prepaid companies out there, despite their shaky financial situation. Helio is one of the most feature-rich MVNOs out there. Problem is, SK Telecom is denying these rumors.

Posted in Virgin Mobile on May 13th, 2008
No Comments

What do you get when you cross an MVNO that struggles to make a profit with another MVNO that struggles to make a profit? We might find out, as Virgin Mobile is in talks to acquire Helio. Well, it might not be that simple. See, SK Telecom, the company that owns Helio, wants to make a bigger imprint in the U.S. So things might get a bit complicated.

Posted in Virgin Mobile on May 9th, 2008
No Comments

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a new phone from Virgin Mobile. But they’re ready to drop a sleek-looking model on us, the Samsung Slash. There aren’t a ton of details available at the moment. We know it is Bluetooth compatible, and is a camera phone. No word on the resolution, though. All in all, it looks like if you can do it on Virgin Mobile, you can do it with the Slash. We’ll let you know the pricing and release date once they’re announced. Picture after the jump.

Posted in Virgin Mobile on May 2nd, 2008
3 Comments

I made sure to note it was a rumor, but something definitely felt fishy when I read the Virgin Mobile job cut story. How could you cut two-thirds of your staff and still expect to operate? So it comes as no surprise that those rumors simply are not true. Jane Wallace, vice president of corporate communications at Virgin Mobile, sets the record straight: “The bottom line is, we have made no final determinations and therefore it’s premature to speculate as to any details, numbers or specifics.” More from Ms. Wallace after the jump.

Posted in Virgin Mobile on April 18th, 2008
No Comments

A good time to be an MVNO it is not. Some are hibernating, while others are just plain failing. Virgin Mobile, considered one of the successful MVNOs despite a shaky financial situation, might not be dying, but they’re definitely hurting. Rumors are now swirling that they’re poised to lay off 300 employees in the near future.

Posted in Virgin Mobile on April 17th, 2008
No Comments

There are a lot of moving parts in the wireless industry. You have the carriers, and then you have their corporate stores, which are pretty closely married. Then you have independent retailers, which are a bit more divorced. MVNOs figure into that mix, as they buy minutes on a wholesale basis from carriers and resell them. Retail outlets play a role, too, as they can sell product from multiple carriers and MVNOs. So how does a carrier get distribution in retail stores and other wireless independent retailers? Through distribution channels like American Wireless. They’ve been hooking up carriers and retail partners since 1984. Their latest deal is with prepaid carrier Virgin Mobile.

Posted in Virgin Mobile on April 10th, 2008
No Comments

If there was one term to describe Virgin Mobile founder Richard Branson’s keynote speech at CTIA, it’s “April Fools!” The billionaire quipped about a project — a partnership with Google, who else — which would put a group of humans and animals on the moon, a la Noah’s Ark. Of course, it was an April Fools joke, but Branson sold it with the matter-of-factness of his delivery.

Posted in Virgin Mobile on April 2nd, 2008
1 Comment

In my web travels yesterday, I kept finding references to new Virgin Mobile plans. Strange, I thought. I just updated the Virgin Mobile review a week and a half ago, and it was a complete overhaul. Even then, I was a little late to the party, as was pointed out by one of our commenters. But why are news outlets choosing to talk about this now if the new plans were introduced weeks, if not months ago? Well, it appears that Virgin issued a press release yesterday. So now I’m stuck asking why Virgin waited to do this.

Posted in Virgin Mobile on March 25th, 2008
1 Comment