Virgin Mobile targets youth with all-network downloads

by Joe Cox,, Revolution UK 19-Feb-04, 08:00

LONDON - Virgin Mobile is launching a cross-network, downloadable entertainment service which will offer ringtones, games and picture content to UK mobile phone users.

The service called 'Tones, Pics and Games' will provide exclusive content such as celebrity photos and, according to the operator, will be available to customers on any mobile network in the UK.

Virgin Mobile wants the service to appeal to the youth market, with an extensive portfolio of ringtones -- from chart hits to popular TV and film theme tunes -- as well as games, wallpaper and themed operator logos.

Mobile entertainment provider Fonedream will provide content, while Opera Telecom, provider of SMS premium services, has been employed to set-up the delivery and billing infrastructure. Together they will manage content-licence relationships and DRM obligations for Virgin Mobile.

Prices will range from £1.50 for a monophonic ringtone to £2.50 for a polyphonic tone, while games will be priced between £1.50 and £4.50.

Colm Torris, marketing manager of downloaded entertainment at Virgin Mobile, said: "The new downloadable entertainment service helps us to differentiate ourselves from the competition. We are able to offer this content across all mobile networks in the UK, not just Virgin Mobile, giving us a larger target audience and an increased revenue stream.

"For six months prior to developing the service, we worked with Opera Telecom and Fonedream to undertake extensive market research to determine exactly what our customers would want, both today and in the future."

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