SUNNYVALE, Calif. and WARREN, N.J., March 28 /PRNewswire/ — Virgin Mobile USA, the nation’s leading wireless youth network and Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) , a leading global Internet company, today announced a new strategic partnership to make a variety of Yahoo!’s popular mobile services available to Virgin Mobile’s more than 4.6 million customers.
The agreement will launch Yahoo! Mail and Yahoo! Messenger in early April available through Virgin Mobile’s Email & IM offerings. These applications will be available for download on several of Virgin Mobile’s handsets including the Switch_Back and Cyclops and will be preloaded on selected future phones. Yahoo! Mobile Web will also be prominently featured in Virgin Mobile USA’s Surf the Web service beginning in April…
"In expanding the messaging features for our customers, it is critical to include access to these tremendously valuable applications from Yahoo!," said Dominick Tolli, vice president, mobile data services for Virgin Mobile USA. "Our customers take advantage of a variety of ways to communicate with friends and family from their cell phones and the Yahoo! option will make that easier and more efficient." Virgin Mobile today announced new cross-messaging pricing plans that will launch in April and will include the Yahoo messaging options as part of the packages.
"Yahoo! is excited to partner with Virgin Mobile to bring our innovative services to consumers’ fingertips," said Bruce Stewart, vice president, business development, Yahoo!. "By bringing our powerful and fun services to the mobile phone, we can give Virgin Mobile customers the great mobile Internet experience they want."
The companies will also make additional mobile services from Yahoo! available on Virgin Mobile handsets in the coming months, including Yahoo!’s range of SMS services such as search and messaging.
About Virgin Mobile USA, LLC
The nation’s leading wireless youth network, Virgin Mobile USA provides more than 4.6 million customers with the most flexibility and choice in wireless products and services without long-term contracts. Voice pricing plans range from monthly options with unlimited nights and weekends to by-the-minute offers, allowing consumers to adjust how and what they pay according to their needs. Virgin Mobile’s full slate of smart, stylish and affordable handsets, including the popular Switch_Back and Slice, are available at more than 35,000 retail locations nationwide and online at www.virginmobileusa.com, with Top-Up cards available at more than 130,000 locations.
Virgin Mobile USA’s network services are provided on the Nationwide Sprint PCS Network, and the company is a joint venture between Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Sprint Nextel. J.D. Power and Associates has ranked Virgin Mobile highest in customer satisfaction among wireless prepaid services, and its own customers report a 94% satisfaction rate. Proud of its charitable and environmental programs, Virgin Mobile donates 5% of profits from downloadable content to The RE*Generation, its pro-social initiative to help millions of at-risk and homeless teens; and provides postage-paid return envelopes in every new package for customers to recycle old phones.
About Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo!’s mission is to connect people to their passions, their communities, and the world’s knowledge. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
Yahoo! and the Yahoo! logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.