News 1999
Lots of E-Stuff from the Most Powerful Phones in the UK
11/11/1999
Virgin Mobile last week launched the most exciting range of e-commerce services available on any mobile in the UK.
"Our philosophy is simple: we make technology useful and accessible. Our services are available to all Virgin Mobile customers, whatever type of phone they buy from our range. Virgin Mobile is about more than just conversation. Virgin Mobile is entertaining, with music and internet release radio; it's indispensable, with information; it's valuable, with money-saving offers and discounts on holidays, flights and CDs," said Tom Alexander, managing director of Virgin Mobile.
Research shows that mobile phone users increasingly want their phone to be more than just a device for talking and listening, so Virgin Mobile has built advanced e-commerce systems into all its handsets.
Each Virgin Mobile customer will be able to access a host of consumer-friendly services which offer all customers easy access to discounted shopping, low-cost travel and web-based services, such as e-mail and an e-address book - at the push of a button.
Virgin Mobile is able to offer such a wide range of innovative features through the sheer blistering power of the technology hidden in the back of each phone - the SIM card.
Working in tandem with smartcard software company, Gemplus, Virgin has created a tailor-made 32K SIM card which is twice as powerful as any of its rivals' technology.
Unlike some other mobile providers, which equip only their premium-priced phones with the most advanced technology, Virgin Mobile has created a level playing field by installing this all powerful SIM card as a standard feature across all its phones - whatever their price.
The Virgin Mobile Advanced Wireless Technology Platform is the result of an intensive year-long multi-million pound research and development project. It places Virgin Mobile at the forefront of mobile communications technology and allows it to launch future applications today instead of tomorrow.
"Entering the mobile phone market now allows us to use technology that was unavailable to rivals in the past. This means we can provide the very latest innovations to all our customers," said Tom Alexander, Virgin Mobile's managing director. "E-commerce isn't just about the ability to hook up to a PC and send e-mails, it's about making life easier and more fun. It's about getting cheap deals on flights, booking last minute weekends, checking up on film reviews, listening to the latest CDs and ordering them over the phone. We're part of Virgin, so we can offer that sort of stuff at great prices."
As you'd expect from Virgin Mobile, the range of product features will constantly be updated over the air as technology evolves.
Frederic Spagnou, executive vice-president at Gemplus said: "The partnership we have developed with Virgin Mobile during the past year will lead to an exciting future for Virgin Mobile's customers. Virgin's skill is in understanding the needs of its customers, ours is understanding how mobiles can meet those desires."
The Virgin Mobile SIM card will in the very near future allow internet browsing on all phones within the Virgin Mobile range, not just those with in-built WAP browsers.
Already built into the SIM is a web-based diary for all Virgin Mobile users, which can be read and organised anywhere at anytime and will remove the need to have both a mobile and a separate organiser - an executive's dream. This will be switched on next month.
Virgin Mobile is a joint-venture owned 50:50 by Virgin Group and One2One.
