News 2000
Virgin Mobile hits half a million customers in its first year
09/11/2000
Fastest growing UK mobile company ever
Virgin Mobile has a double celebration today. It is one year old; and it has just attracted its half a millionth customer. No other mobile company in Britain achieved this staggering rate of growth in its first twelve months. Virgin Mobile, the world's biggest virtual network, is the fastest growing mobile phone operator in the UK.
By comparison, it took BT Cellnet over five years to get 500,000 customers*. Vodafone* took more than four years, One 2 One* three years and Orange* two years to reach this figure.
Since announcing its third quarter results a month ago, more than 87,000 new customers have joined the service and Virgin Mobile has increased its high street presence from 330 to 3,540 stores nationwide.
Virgin Mobile phones can now be bought from Virgin Megastores, Our Price, V.SHOP, Sainsbury's, WH Smith, Somerfield, Kwik Save, Co-op and Asda, with Iceland and John Lewis coming on stream later this month.
Virgin Mobile's simple, transparent and cheap tariff has proved a winner with consumers and has even caused Vodafone to introduce a copycat (but more expensive!) tariff, in an attempt to stop its customers defecting in droves. A recent Oftel report estimates that one in five people have switched networks in the last 12 months and Virgin Mobile predict this will increase during 2001 as people seek a better deal.
Comments Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Mobile: "We are now the fastest growing operator in the UK and I can't see the pace of growth slowing down. Virgin set out to change this market and we are proud of what we have achieved in such a short time.
We have the most competitive tariff in Britain and increasingly people are switching to us to take advantage of VirginXtras - a range of entertainment services that come with exclusive money-saving discounts on holidays, music, even electrical goods. Mobiles are the virtual superstores of the future and Virgin Mobile will continue to lead the m-commerce revolution. We are now more confident than ever of reaching our target of one million customers by spring 2001."
For further information, please call:
Steven Day, Virgin Mobile: 07931 777 777
Debra Burtt, Consolidated Communications:
020 7208 2714 or 07941 200 300
* BT Cellnet customer figures start from December 1985. By December 1990 they had 490,000 customers. Twelve months later they had 535,000 (source BT Cellnet).
* Vodafone customer figures start from December 1986. In December 1989 they had 482,000 customers. By December 1990 they had 665,000 customers (source Vodafone).
* One 2 One was launched in September 1993. By November 1996 they had reached 500,000 customers (source One 2 One).
* Orange was launched in April 1994. By April 1996 in had reached 500,000 customers (source Orange).
Note to editors:
- Front page code:
- 1111010000100100000: 500,000 in binary
- 7a120: 500,000 in Hex
- 1720440: 500,000 in octal base 8
- Mezzo milione: 500,000 in Italian
- Cinq cent mille: 500,000 in French
- Un demi-million: 500,000 in French
- Ein halbe Millionen: 500,000 in German
- Metade de milhoes: 500,000 in Portuguese
- Stengah Juta: 500,000 in Malay or Indonesian
- Wushi wan: 500,000 in Mandarin - Virgin Mobile is a 50:50 joint-venture company between Virgin and Deutsche Telekom's One 2 One, and is the UK's first mobile virtual network operator.
- Virgin Mobile launched in the UK on November 11th 1999.
- VirginXtras is Virgin Mobile's unique range of mobile leisure, information and entertainment services. With VirginXtras customers can save 10% off selected Virgin Holidays; 15% off music, videos, DVDs and computer games; and up to 50% off electrical goods such as TVs, Stereos, Fridges and Microwaves compared to typical high street prices.
