Deal to Accelerate Delivery of New Products, Services and Capabilities to Virgin Mobile USA Customers
Virgin Mobile USA, Inc. (NYSE: VM), a leading
national provider of prepaid and hybrid wireless plans, today signed a
services agreement for Information Technology (IT) operations and new
applications development with IBM (NYSE: IBM). The agreement will allow
Virgin Mobile USA to enhance its technology capabilities and improve its
product portfolio for new and existing customers by affording the Company
access to IBM's significant telecommunications industry experience and
state-of-the-art IT resources.
Under the terms of the new services agreement, IBM will begin transitioning
Virgin Mobile USA's existing IT infrastructure and application suite into
its own environment. Simultaneously and continuing over the course of the
next five years, IBM will work with Virgin Mobile USA to develop new and
differentiated wireless applications and service offerings. Specifically,
IBM will provide Virgin Mobile USA with data center outsourcing and
application management services including maintenance and development.
The agreement provides Virgin Mobile USA with yet another strategic
milestone contributing to its growth profile.
The Company recently announced its plans to acquire the postpaid carrier
Helio. This additional step, separate from the Helio acquisition, will
serve to enhance Virgin Mobile USA's technology capabilities and improve
its product portfolio by affording the Company access to IBM's significant
telecommunications industry experience and state-of-the-art IT resources.
Virgin Mobile USA expects that, as a result of its new relationship with
IBM, the Company will realize IT-related operational cost savings over the
next five years, while amplifying the Company's competitive advantage in
new product and service delivery. The expected benefits of the Company's
new relationship with IBM are key components of Virgin Mobile USA's focused
expansion and value creation strategy.
The Company expects the transition of its existing IT infrastructure and
application suite to IBM to be completed by December 31, 2008.
"We have built our success as a customer-centric innovator, and always seek
to enhance our product and service offerings," said Jonathan Marchbank,
Chief Operations Officer, Virgin Mobile USA. "These steps will continue to
raise the standards in the prepaid market overall and allow us to stay
current with, and ahead of, trends and evolutions in the overall wireless
industry.