Virgin Mobile USA, which sells pay-in-advance wireless service primarily to teens and young adults, on Monday introduced the first MTV-branded cell phone.
The joint venture between Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Sprint Corp. also said it has reached one million customers since starting service last July — the fastest growth rate compared with other Virgin Mobile operations in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Virgin Mobile said the MTV phone called Slider V5 *MTV will be made by Japanese cell phone maker Kyocera Corp. and will sell for $159.
The phone, which will be sold exclusively through Virgin Mobile, has a sliding form factor with features such as animated screen savers, caller ID cartoons, wallpaper designs, MTV ring tones and MTV content.
Virgin Mobile’s service allows customers to pay for minutes in advance instead of subscribing to a monthly plan. Targeting 15-to-30-year-olds, it requires no contract commitments, has simple pricing and features such as ring tones and messaging.
The company operates as a “virtual operator” and uses Sprint’s network to offer the wireless service.
Virgin Mobile cell phones are available at consumer electronics stores such as Best Buy Co Inc. and online retailer Amazon.com as well as convenience stores such as 7-Eleven Inc. and Virgin’s own music store chain Virgin Megastore.
The company already has a content deal with MTV Networks.
Source: Reuters
