News 2004
Virgin Mobile tops half a million new customers in Q4 2003
27/01/2004
Virgin Mobile, Britain’s fastest growing network, today announced that it had added more than half a million net new customers in Q4 2003. During the final three months of the year, Virgin Mobile acquired 506,448 net new customers, making it Virgin Mobile’s best ever sales period by far.
The record-breaking performance, 37% up on Q4 2002, has lifted Virgin Mobile’s customer numbers by 53% since this time last year, to 3,644,795.
Virgin Mobile consistently outclassed its rivals in growth terms throughout 2003 with 1.26 million people joining the operator, and looking back even further, it has been the fastest-growing mobile network for the past two years*, thanks to its strong brand and the launch of a range of consumer innovations. It has taken more than a quarter of total market share, 28%, since the start of Q4 2001, adding almost two million net new customers.
Its recent launches, which have tempted hundreds of thousands of switchers and kept millions of customers happy, include:
- 3p texts, Virgin to Virgin
- £5 airtime vouchers - launched when some other networks raised the minimum denomination of vouchers in a bid to move people onto contract
- Glue - a loyalty scheme which rewards existing customers with £10 airtime for every person they connect, up to eight each year
- Flash it! - £1 free airtime for every £10 spent in Virgin Megastores simply by showing a Virgin Mobile at the till
Virgin Mobile won several important awards during 2003, including the Mobile Choice Best Prepay Package and Best Customer Service awards, both for the third year running.
In addition, Oftel announced in November that Virgin Mobile had outperformed the competition by having the fewest dissatisfied customers in the industry; fewer than 0.1 complaints per 1000 customers.
Virgin Mobile’s Sir Richard Branson said, “This is a glittering result for Virgin Mobile. In the run up to Christmas, more than half a million new customers chose us in the belief that we have the best tariff, the best value, the best marketing and the best customer service in the industry – and they are right! We have grown faster than any of our rivals over the past two years, and we have absolutely no intention of slowing down.”
*According to published market data as follows:
Net Additions in the two year period to September 30th 2003
Virgin Mobile 1,957,214 28%
O2 1,655,000 24%
Vodafone 1,578,530 23%
Orange 1,190,000 17%
T-Mobile 499,786 7%
6,880,530 100%
Source: OFCOM monthly reports Q4 2001 to Q2 2003 and Q3 2003 operator press releases.
