News 2006
Virgin Mobile's Lobster 700TV 'Tellyphone': This year's must-have Christmas present
06/11/2006
06.11.06: Arguments about what to watch on the television will be a thing of the past this Christmas, as Virgin Mobile offers the ‘must-have’ mobile phone of the year: the Lobster 700TV phone. Available now, the Lobster 700TV is the UK’s first TV and DAB digital radio phone – watch the most popular high-profile channels including BBC One*, ITV1, E4, Channel 4** Short Cuts and ITN News.
Whether you want to watch festive episodes of Only Fools & Horses on the way back from a Christmas party, or catch the end of ‘Corrie’ after shopping in the sales, with Virgin Mobile’s TV phone you need never miss your favourite TV programme again.
The Lobster 700TV offers a seven day electronic programme guide (EPG) making it a snap to see what’s on now and next, an exclusive for mobile. The ‘red-button’ interactivity means you can find out more and interact with the programme you are watching. DAB digital radio is another huge first for mobile customers. Now you can enjoy the unique features of DAB such as quick and easy tuning, a choice of up to 50 digital radio stations straight to your handset, and crystal clear sound.
Alongside the Lobster 700TV, Virgin Mobile is offering a dazzling Christmas line up, all complete with the latest mobile technology and crammed packed with features to keep you entertained over the Christmas break. The Virgin Mobile Christmas range includes the Sony Ericsson W850i & SE K800i – which has seen Virgin Mobile work with music labels to offer content from Franz Ferdinand, Basement Jaxx, Bloc Party and Armand Van Helden on the handset, while the K800i provides a Cyber-shot® 3.2 megapixel camera. Also available is the Motorola KRZR K1, it has the latest luxurious design with a metallic gloss front and it’s sleek, slim and stylish.
All these phones are available through Virgin Mobile Stores within Virgin Megastores and WHSmiths, its standalone stores and direct from www.virginmobile.co.uk. Virgin Mobile offers the mobile TV phone and service for free for customers on a contract of £25 a month or more, for the life of their contract. The phone is available on pre-pay for £199, offering the TV service free for an initial three-month period, followed by a charge of £5 a month.
Virgin Mobile’s TV service broadcasts TV ‘as it happens’ over the DAB digital frequency spectrum, which currently covers more than 85% of the UK population. The Lobster 700TV mobile phone is the world’s first DAB-IP TV enabled handset. As well as offering TV and up to 50 DAB Digital Radio stations, the handset is also Virgin Mobile’s first Windows Mobile® powered Smartphone, offering Windows Mobile functionality and Windows Media Player.
*BBC One will be available on a trial basis for 12 months and will be provided free to consumers.
**Channel 4 will initially broadcast Channel 4 Short Cuts, its made-for-mobile TV channel, and expects Channel 4 simulcast will follow.
For more information, review units and photography please contact:
Eulogy! on 020 7297 9999 or:
| Julia Murray: | julia@eulogy.co.uk |
| Jonny Lockwood: | jonny@eulogy.co.uk |
| Virgin Mobile | |
| Jo Baker Head of Media Relations: | jo.baker@virginmobile.com |
| Mobile: | 07941 233 300 |
| Virgin Mobile Press Office: | 0845 600 6272 |
About Virgin Mobile:
Virgin Mobile is the UK’s largest mobile virtual network operator and uses T-Mobile's network. Since its launch in November 1999, Virgin Mobile has attracted more than 4 million customers.
Virgin Mobile is part of the ntl:Telewest group. The group is the first to be able to offer `quadruple play’ to customers: mobile and fixed line telephony, broadband internet and television.
In the UK, Virgin Mobile phones are available direct on 0845 6000 600; on the web at www.virginmobile.co.uk or on the high street at approximately 5,000 outlets including Virgin Mobile Stores within Virgin Megastores and selected WHSmiths, The Carphone Warehouse, The Link, Phones 4 U, Currys.digital, Comet, Tesco, Asda, John Lewis, Argos, Woolworths, Toys R Us, Ryman, web retailer Dial-a-phone plus hundreds of independent mobile phone dealers and available via Shop Direct/Littlewoods, Grattan and Empire home shopping channels.
Virgin Mobile Pay Monthly (contract) is currently available in Virgin Mobile Stores, The Carphone Warehouse, The Link, Phones 4u, at concessions in WHSmith and from www.virginmobile.co.uk
Virgin Mobile employs approximately 1,700 staff at three sites, Trowbridge, London and Daventry, and has an outsourced customer service centre operated by approximately 200 staff in Middlesbrough.
Virgin Mobile was voted 22nd in the Best Workplaces in the UK Financial Times survey for 2006.
Virgin Mobile is offering its customers 3p per minute Virgin to Virgin voice calls in the UK until March 31st 2007.
A selection of Virgin Mobile’s Christmas 2006 range:
 | The Lobster 700TV
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 | The SE W850i
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 | The SE K800i
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 | The Motorola KRZR K1
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