Virgin Mobile UK to offer HSDPA and fixed/mobile broadband
Published: 29 September, 2008
READ MORE: UK | HSDPA | Broadband
UK-based MVNO Virgin Mobile has renewed its agreement with T-Mobile and will offer HSDPA services from the fourth quarter.
Virgin has consistently set itself apart from the MVNO pack in territories like the UK and Germany, by leveraging its youth-oriented lifestyle brand and offering advanced services, rather than just competing on price. It is soon to extend its MVNO activities to France and in the US, plans to use Sprint's WiMAX network to push mobile broadband at an early stage.
In the UK, it has renewed its often turbulent contract with host network T-Mobile for a further six years, a new deal that sources say has brought better terms for Virgin as well as the right to use the HSDPA system. Mobile broadband is an important part of Virgin's strategy of ensuring its services are perceived to be fully competitive with those of the network owners. In countries where the Virgin group also offers fixed broadband and/or television services, there is also the opportunity for quad play bundles to take on the larger telcos. Graeme Oxby, managing director of the UK MVNO, said the company now has 500,000 contract customers - bucking the trend for virtual operators to be mainly pay-as-you-go - and the provision of data and fixed/mobile options should accelerate the sign-up of contracts.
He said in an interview: "It's been quite difficult to do much about mobile broadband; the new agreement changes that. It's a large part of our strategy for next year; joining mobile broadband to fixed broadband to complete our suite of services. There will be quite a lot of development now the fundamentals are in place."
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