News
Virgin Mobile unveils the future of person-to-person gaming
20/02/2002
- Virgin Mobile predicts 'person-to-person' gaming as the future of youth ARPU
- Sendo handsets generate high levels of SMS activity (second only to Nokia)
- Sendo handsets proven to be a hit with the youth market
Virgin Mobile, the UK's fifth network, will be adding the games-oriented Sendo S230 to its wide range of high quality phones in April. Expected to be a huge hit with the youth market, this groundbreaking phone boasts twelve games, including four two-player SMS games.
The four interactive games, which customers can play against fellow Sendo S230 owners via SMS, are the skill-based games 'Checkers', 'Chess' and 'Reversi' along with the person-to-person battle game 'Kombat Club'. Person-to-person internet-based games are already hugely popular with the youth market.
These four interactive games are examples of 'person-to-person gaming', the up-and-coming trend in mobile gaming, which Virgin Mobile believes will revolutionise the way in which people play games and interact with their friends. No longer bound to a PC or a games console, users of 'person-to-person gaming' using a mobile handset can play at any time in any place, using the SMS technology that is already familiar to them.
The mobile entertainment market is forecast to be worth £2 billion by 2006* and Virgin Mobile believes a large proportion of this forecast will come from 'person to person gaming', which will prove to be a very valuable driver of ARPU (Average Revenue Per User).
According to a recent study by the ARC group, there are currently 42.9 million wireless gaming users worldwide, and gaming is the third most popular application in the mobile entertainment world, ahead of information services and music. By 2006, the study predicts wireless gaming will move ahead of music to become the second most popular application with almost 850 million users throughout the globe.
Andy Mallinson, head of product marketing for Virgin Mobile, said: "The current Sendo S200 has already more than proved itself. Not only has it been a great-selling phone but its level of SMS activity is second only to Nokia, and the overall ARPU levels on the S200 are right up there with the best in class handsets. These usage levels pay testament to the easy-to-use menu, and also the appeal that the phone has with the youth market. The interactive games on the new S230 will play into the hands of this target market."
"Since we shipped our first phones just over a year ago, Sendo has been focused on developing products that not only appeal to end users but that also support network operators' goals of differentiation and revenue growth." said Howard Lewis, chief operating officer at Sendo. "We are very focused on generating ideas that improve operators' revenue performance and we're thrilled to see that this strategy is proving successful with Virgin Mobile. We expect that the Sendo S230's SMS gaming features will work to drive ARPU even higher."
Virgin's Mallinson added: "Virgin Mobile's 'pay as you want' offering, and simple, good value tariff has proven to be a hit across the marketplace, and particularly with our younger customers, who want to enjoy the flexibility of our version of a 'pre-pay' facility, and the ability to control their spending more easily than they can with a contract. These customers are both early-adopters of new technology, and who are amongst our most valuable customers in terms of ARPU. We predict that the Sendo S230 with its offering of person to person gaming, as well as 'traditional' mobile gaming, will prove to be a huge hit with these customers."
* according to forecasts by Jupiter MMXI
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For further press information please contact:
Alison Bonny, Virgin Mobile: 07802 430276 or Alison.bonny@virginmobile.com
Big-mouths PR (also for review kits and photography):
Julie Watson OR Alix Vonk, 0207 385 0009. E: virginmobile@big-mouths.com
Virgin Mobile Hotline Press Office number: 0845 600 6272
Email: pressoffice@virginmobile.com
Notes to editors:
The price of the Sendo S230 is expected to retail at around £80-90, including connection to Virgin Mobile . At launch it will be available from Virgin Mobile calling 0845 6000 600, visiting www.virgin.com/mobile or the High Street at over 5,000 outlets including V.SHOP, Virgin Megastores, Carphone Warehouse, The Link, Argos, and Dixons.
Virgin Mobile has no contract , and lets users 'pay as you want' - by topping up with credit or debit card, with top-up vouchers, or paying monthly with direct debit. Either way, there is no contract or line rental, and the same simple tariff applies, with standard calls charged at 15p/min for the first 5 minutes of use each day, then 5p/min after that. Virgin Mobile also offers the 'Big Bonus' to any registered customer spending £30 or more on calls in a month. Those customers will receive 10% of their monthly spend as an airtime credit the following month.
About Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile is now established as the most successful virtual network operator in the world, and is the UK's fifth network. Since its launch in November 1999 it has attracted 1.5 million customers, making it one of the fastest growing mobile phone companies in history.
Virgin Mobile is a 50:50 joint venture company between Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Deutsche Telekom's One 2 One, and is the UK's first mobile virtual operator.
It has scored a number of firsts, including being the first operator to scrap peak rate calls, introduce a daily discounting tariff and was the first company in the world to introduce an integrated MP3 mobile phone.
In the UK, Virgin Mobile is available by calling 0845 6000 600, visiting www.virgin.com/mobile or the High Street at over 5,000 outlets including Virgin Megastore, Our Price, V.SHOP, Sainsbury, Tesco, Safeway, Kwik Save, Jungle.com, WH Smith, Co-op, Asda, John Lewis, Littlewoods, Morrisons, Argos, The Link, Dixons and Carphone Warehouse.
