It is no secret that MVNO carriers Helio and Virgin Mobile have seen better days. Helio has burned through its investments multiple times, and Virgin Mobile is not doing too much better. Both have had a very difficult time gaining subscribers. SK Telecom is now considering options for its U.S. venture, and one of them may include a potential merger ... continued »

New plans galore over at Virgin Mobile USA and, considering I was taken to task for suggesting that the only people endeared to the network were those highly contract-phobic, you'll be pleased to hear that they're continuing their policy of no commitment for either pre- or post-pay customers.  The changes include a new unlimited evenings & weekends plan for pay-monthly ... continued »

When you're hurting like Virgin Mobile USA are, you really have two choices: one, bring out some kick-ass must-have cellphone (it helps here if you have ties with Apple) and let the hype drive your share price upward, or two, launch a super-cheap handset and hope that sheer numbers will push you out of the red.  Given Virgin's target audience - ... continued »

It's been quite the week of rumor and speculation, with new handsets, government arguments and price speculation all churning through the cellular rumor-mill.  On the handset front, Verizon's ridiculously-named U940 'Glyde' - the CDMA version of the F700 slider-smartphone - showed up in its clearest pre-announcement photoshoot yet, complete with shots of the new interface.  Meanwhile, another Verizon smartphone blessed ... continued »

After a disappointing financial report, shares in Virgin Mobile USA fell by a massive 54-percent yesterday amid analyst negativity and poor subscriber figures.  Contrary to expectations, Virgin's subscriber growth for this quarter is being estimated at just 5,000 to 20,000, compared to 210,000 net additions in Q4 2007.  The already significantly weakened share price has fallen further; Virgin commanded a ... continued »