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Virgin, Tata Teleservices launch Virgin Mobile in India

Indiantelevision.com Team

( 3 March 2008 1:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Virgin is all set to make a foray into the Indian telecom market through Virgin Mobile India, which is a collaboration between the Virgin Group and Tata Teleservices (TTL).

TTL has entered into a brand franchise deal with the Virgin Group, according to which it will design, market and provide service to TTL Virgin Mobile branded products for the youth segment.

With a brand philosophy of "Think Hatke," Virgin Mobile India is India's first nation-wide youth-focused mobile service.

Virgin Group chairman and founder Sir Richard Branson said, "The launch of Virgin Mobile today sees the Virgin Mobile brand arrive in India - a day I have looked forward to for many years. India is a country I hold dear to my heart; the vibrancy of its youth and culture truly makes it Virgin territory! At Virgin Mobile, we believe that the existing operators are all pursuing the same strategy: to get as many subscribers as quickly as possible. Virgin Mobile's strategy is different. We want to deliver a more tailored, more relevant offering for a single, distinct segment. We are not pursuing scale for scale's sake."

"Our association with the Tatas unites the passion of our two business groups for putting customers first and finding innovative, fun ways of enriching their lives, and it represents Virgin Group's strong focus on India. In true Virgin tradition, Virgin Mobile brings to all its customers ten firsts to the Indian telecom market - we're even going to pay our customers to talk. Now that really is 'Think Hatke!'," he added.

TTL Virgin Mobile offers "Get Paid to Receive Calls," "One-touch VAS access from every Virgin Mobile-branded handset," "Call more for less," "True Care" and a value-for-money handset range.

TTL MD Anil Sardana said, "We are very excited about our association with the Virgin Group. Their service innovation and strong brand resonance with the youth segment will allow Tata Teleservices to offer a truly world-class service experience to our youth subscribers. This association also supports our efforts to be the fastest-growing mobile network in India."

"There are more than 215 million Indians aged between 14 -25 years old. Over the next three years, we expect this segment to be adding over 50 million new youth subscribers and to have mobile service revenues of over Rs 350 billion. By focusing exclusively on a single segment and by continuing to deliver innovative services that cater to this segment's distinct needs, we believe Virgin Mobile can capture more than 10 per cent of this incremental market within 3 years of launch," said Virgin Mobile India deputy CEO Jamie Heywood.