Virgin Mobile "literally over the moon" with new text service

It's not often that I quote a press release verbatim. Here's one of those exceptions:

Virgin Mobile launch 'Texts into Space' service
ONE SMALL TEXT FOR MAN,ONE GIANT LEAP FOR VIRGIN MOBILE

Virgin Mobile today announce the launch of ‘Texts into Space’, a service which allows people to send their text declarations of love and affection into the unchartered territories of space where they will travel through the cosmos for all eternity.

Ever said ‘I'll love forever’? Well now you can prove it!

Launching just in time for Christmas this is a unique gift idea for any loved one. The texts are transmitted via a satellite Earth Station in Cornwall by SentForever.com. Once sent you can ensure your message will live on eternally, a concept that will surely touch the recipients heart.
The ‘text into space’ costs the price of a normal text and can be sent from any mobile phone by texting the desired message to the Virgin Mobile short code 80995. Then, for just £9.95, the message recipient will receive a formal ‘Certificate of Transmission’ from SentForever.com confirming the launch of the eternal message and details of how to track the message on the SentForever.com website as it continues to travel through time and space. Email updates are also available to alert the recipient as to when their message has passed key milestones.

Tim Dowling from Virgin Mobile said "We are quite literally over the moon at the thought of millions of wishes and messages of love being texted into space".

[Press release]

Virgin Mobile announces flat-rate web deal

Virgin Mobile has said it's launching a flat-rate mobile internet deal next week. From 8th December, customers in the UK will be able to browse mobile internet sites for 30p a day on 'pay monthly' and prepay tariffs. (Exceeding the 25MB 'fair usage' cap will incur additional charges). There'll also be a new Virgin Media branded portal featuring Yahoo’s oneSearch service. We interviewed Virgin Mobile MD Graeme Oxby in October for the Mobile News podcast -more details are here. [Press release; promotional site]

Mobile News podcast now online

This week's edition of the Mobile News podcast includes a wide-ranging interview with Graeme Oxby, Managing Director of Virgin Mobile in the UK. There's also time for a quick preview of the new Prada phone from LG and our usual look at the latest industry news headlines. As always, you can download or listen free at TheFonecast.com and on the Mobile News website... and you'll find us on iTunes and via RSS too.

The Mobile News podcast is produced and presented by Iain Graham, Mark Bridge and James Rosewell from TheFonecast.com

Virgin Mobile leads SIM-only market

Virgin Mobile says it leads the UK's SIM-only sector. It's quoted figures from GfK, which says the MVNO's market share grew by 10% to 29.5% in May. [Source: Telecoms.com]

Tesco Mobile and Virgin Mobile top JD Power survey

Tesco Mobile and Virgin Mobile have come out as the top networks for customer satisfaction in the 2008 J.D. Power UK Mobile Telephone Customer Satisfaction Study. Tesco Mobile ranks highest in customer satisfaction with pre-pay mobile telephone service, while Virgin Mobile ranks highest among contract mobile phone customers. Overall, customer satisfaction in the pre-pay segment has decreased slightly while customer satisfaction in the contract segment has increased. Orange came bottom of both sets of results. [Press release]

O2 man moves to Virgin Mobile

Former O2 UK general manager of channel support Ian Driver, who left his previous role in November last year, has been appointed to Virgin Mobile's indirect sales channel. [Source: Mobile News]

Hiccup for Virgin's mobile plans in India

The Virgin Group's new mobile phone partnership with Tata Indicom (announced last week) could be illegal, according to the Cellular Operators Association of India. Tata has just launched a mobile phone service using the Virgin brand. Mobile Virtual Networks - buying mobile services from a network and then reselling them - are not permitted in India, although Virgin insists it is running a franchise, not a MVNO. The Indian Department of Telecommunication is apparently investigating the complaint. [Sources: TimesOnline.co.uk; original PDF press release]

Orange man strengthens management team with former colleagues

Tom Alexander, the new CEO of Orange UK, has appointed three new people to his management team. Mr Alexander, who was CEO of Virgin Mobile, has hired Andrew Ralston, the former customer relations director at Virgin Mobile, to be his new chief operations officer. Former Virgin Mobile operations director Gerry McQuade becomes Orange UK’s chief development officer, with Steven Day, who’d been Virgin Mobile's head of corporate affairs, becoming Orange's chief of staff and communications. [Sources: Press release, Guardian.co.uk, Mobile News]