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Two SK execs land at Virgin Mobile USA

Following its $25 million investment in Virgin Mobile USA Inc., SK Telecom landed two spots on the company's board. The mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) has appointed Richard Chin, president of SK Telecom Americas, and Sungwon Suh, executive VP and head of global strategy...

Virgin details Helio integration plans

A few weeks after its official purchase of Helio L.L.C., Virgin Mobile USA has decided on a branding strategy; "Helio by Virgin Mobile: Plan to Have it All." The mobile virtual network operator's (MVNO) first plans for the newly joined company is to...

Acton named CIO/CTO at VMU

Fresh on the heels of closing the Helio L.L.C acquisition, Virgin Mobile USA Inc. has named a new chief information and technology officer.Daniel Acton steps into the role to manage present Virgin Mobile USA I.T. and product development operations. The mobile virtual network operator...

Helio slimming down: Four of five retail outlets closed, more cuts expected

Just a month and a half after Virgin Mobile USA Inc.'s announcement to acquire Helio L.L.C., all but one of Helio's five retail stores have already closed. The New York location remains open, for now, while stores in San Diego, Santa Monica and Palo...

Virgin Mobile USA pines for postpaid success

Virgin Mobile USA Inc. showed more enthusiasm toward its newer, postpaid offerings in its second-quarter report - not the normal behavior for a company that made its name with prepaid. When asked about average revenue per user (ARPU) results related to its recently launched...

LiveWire to power Virgin Mobile USA’s ringback service

Virgin Mobile USA Inc. has tapped LiveWire Mobile to power a new ringback application that allows subscribers to choose pre-selected content channels rather than individual tracks.Ringback Playlist, as the offering is marketed, offers 12 channels consisting of five ringback tones that are rotated every...

Unlimited calling dribbles into no-contract crowd

Just like Ronald Reagan claimed with his trickle-down economic plan, wireless customers are beginning to see unlimited offerings filter down to cheaper price points and in some cases to offerings that do not require a cumbersome contract.Last week Tracfone Wireless Inc. subsidiary Net10 jumped...

Tracfone’s Net10 dives into unlimited fray

Tracfone Wireless Inc. subsidiary Net10 has jumped into the increasingly popular unlimited-service-plan play with its new Net10 Unlimited Plan, which offers unlimited calling and texting for $80 per month. Per Tracfone's modus operandi, the unlimited offer does not require a contract or credit checks,...

7-Eleven’s MVNO arrives in Singapore

While some mobile virtual network operators are switching off the lights, others seem to be thriving - and globally at that. After seeing success in the United States and Canada, 7-Eleven Inc. is expanding its proprietary prepaid wireless program, 7-Eleven SpeakOut Wireless, to Asia.The...

MetroPCS tops J.D. Power ranking of prepaid offerings

Regional wireless operator MetroPCS Communications Inc. topped the rankings in the latest customer-satisfaction study of prepaid users from J.D. Power and Associates.The Dallas-based carrier performed particularly well in five out of seven categories, the market research firm said, including cost of service, account management,...

SK Telecom says no interest in control of Sprint Nextel

Countering media speculation and a sagging stock price, South Korea's SK Telecom said it was not interested in purchasing ailing U.S. carriers Sprint Nextel Corp. anytime soon. According to media reports, the Korean telecom giant said it has no plans to buy a controlling...

Reports: SK Telecom looking at Sprint Nextel

According to media reports, Korean telecom giant SK Telecom may again be looking at purchasing beleagured carrier Sprint Nextel Corp. According to reports, SK Telecom and Providence Equity last year offered to invest $5 billion into Sprint Nextel at $18.60 per share on the...

Worst of the Week: Motorola, why not me?

Hello! And welcome to our Thursday column, Worst of the Week. There's a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRWirelessNews.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....

It’s official: Virgin to take over Helio

Virgin Mobile USA's purchase of fellow MVNO Helio L.L.C. allows Virgin to evolve beyond its low-ARPU customers to higher-paying subscribers, as well as gain a sophisticated handset portfolio, improve its debt levels and cut a better deal with network operator Sprint Nextel Inc.Virgin Mobile...

Only strongest MVNOs will survive

A couple years ago, starting your very own mobile virtual network operations company was a sizzling hot idea and everybody was trying to cash in. But now, two years and a slue of MVNO closings later, the idea has fizzled. With the shut downs...

Virgin Mobile USA: Unlimited at $80 per month

Mobile virtual network operator Virgin Mobile USA Inc. unveiled its new "Totally Unlimited" calling plan, which stands as a shot against the company's larger rivals by undercutting their prices by $20.Virgin's new plan, available July 1, will provide customers with unlimited minutes across days,...

Interoperability concerns plague mobile ad space: Third Screen Media singled out for not cooperating

NEW YORK - Turns out all those "open vs. closed" debates aren't limited just to mobile networks and software platforms. Wireless advertising is joining the fray, too. Kind of.Interoperability - or the lack thereof - caused a stir at last week's Mobile Marketing Forum...

Etc.

Disaster reliefVerizon Wireless launched a program designed to make it easy for its customers to donate to disaster relief efforts targeted at China and Myanmar. The program allows postpaid customers to send a text message to the shortcode 4SAVE with the key word "quake"...

VZW+Alltel: On the handset front, LG to win at others’ expense

WHILE THE CARRIER'S COMPETITORS WORRY over a potentially greatly expanded customer base and network footprint, Verizon Wireless' handset suppliers likely are cheering news that the carrier plans to acquire Alltel Communications L.L.C."The strongest (handset) players at Verizon Wireless areprobably the winners" in the merger,...

Increased text usage has carriers battling spammers: On guard against spam

TEXTING. IF YOU HAD ASKED AMERICANS WHAT THAT WORD MEANT 15 years ago, most would have been short for words. Now the definition of texting, even though still not listed in some dictionaries, is embedded in our brains and the words are piling up....

Devices & Strategy: Samsung serves Virgin Mobile USA : Mutual interests reflected in slider camera phone

It's been said that football is a game of inches, a description that might also be applied to the handset market. And, as in football, a team - in this case a pairing of Virgin Mobile USA Inc. with its first handset from Samsung...

AOL continues to gain mobile ad ground: Internet giant lands Platform A deal with Virgin Mobile USA

AOL L.L.C. continues to lose ground online as Google Inc's dominance grows, but the venerable Internet company is gaining impressive traction in mobile.Virgin Mobile USA Inc. last week unveiled a deal to use AOL's Platform-A as its exclusive display advertising and sales partner for...

Virgin Mobile, Microsoft add momentum to mobile ads

Virgin Mobile USA has tapped AOL's Platform-A to handle its WAP banner inventory.Platform-A will serve as the "exclusive display advertising and sales partner" for the mobile virtual network operator's mobile Web inventory, delivering banner ads across Virgin's deck. "Working with Virgin Mobile USA, we...

Boost Mobile hits the street with branded retail outlets

Boost Mobile is hoping to boost sales with a line of new retail stores.The Sprint Nextel Corp. division opened outlets in Hialeah, Fla., Huntington, Calif., and Houston, offering customers and would-be customers an opportunity to explore Boost's offerings "in a hands-on, contemporary environment." The...