Looks like Virgin Mobile USA and Helio parent SK Telecom didn't bother to get their stories straight before turning to the press over recent rumors that they've been talking marriage. Right on the heels of an SKT statement that talks of a Virgin Mobile takeover were "groundless," Virgin Mobile has come out with a super-brief statement saying something quite to the contrary -- that the two are, in fact, in "preliminary discussions" over "possible strategic opportunities." That's about as vague and unhelpful as it gets -- a level of vagueness that's really only saved for situations where something big is about to go down, actually. The MVNO goes on to say that it's gonna stay mum on the subject at this point unless "a definitive agreement is reached," but at least we know they're chatting.

[Via mocoNews]

Virgin Mobile's warnings of a bleak quarter were pretty dead-on, with a mere 17,772 net adds coming on board during the three-month time frame ending March 31 -- not quite the blockbuster 309,721 reported in the same period a year ago. Similarly, revenue and income both took a dive, supposedly in part due to a big marketing push focused on the MVNO's new pricing plans. If there's a silver lining on the dark, rumbling cloud, though, it's that the CEO believes they'll start to see some positive growth again in the third quarter after a weak second (for his sake, we hope he's right). Also notable was a mention that although the company had no strategic partnerships, alliances, or investments to announce, it was definitely open to "non-organic growth" in the form of another MVNO or "capability." Wonder what he may have been talking about there?

[Via mocoNews]

Times haven't been so great at Helio, but it looks like the troubled MVNO could be snapped up by Virgin Mobile. mocoNews did a little digging after Virgin's recent Q1 conference call, and says that the two companies are currently in merger talks. Since both companies use Sprint's network, the tech would be compatible, and the deal would give SK Telecom a way to keep Helio going as it tries to gain a foothold in the US market. Nothing's set in stone yet and the two companies aren't talking, but we'll definitely keep an eye on this one.

Look out, Virgin Mobile subscribers -- Samsung's sliding you one more handset option with its forthcoming Slash. Posted now on the carrier's own website, said mobile packs integrated Bluetooth, a color display, voice dialing, web access and a talk time of 3.5-hours. Additionally, it tips the scales at just 3-ounces and measures 3.8- x 1.8- x 0.7-inches. Unfortunately, we're still waiting on the real details (you know, resolution, price, release date, whether it works in subarctic temperatures, etc.), but feel free to keep a close eye on the read link as its inevitable launch date draws near.

In case you hadn't noticed, Virgin Mobile rocks an ever-so-slightly higher end lineup north of the border than it does in the US, and to that end, it's just released the RAZR 2 V9m. We all know the drill here by now: 2 inch external QVGA display with music controls, 2.2 inch internal QVGA display, stereo Bluetooth, EV-DO, microSD expansion, and a 2 megapixel camera, all of which are ready to sit just above the KRZR in Virgin's stable. Grab it now for $149 CAD (about $147) on a three-year deal.

[Via Mobile In Canada]

This could -- at least temporarily -- put an end the nightmarish scenario involving you, lack of sleep, and some freakish chatty Cathy plopped next to you by the airline. Lead co-sponsor Rep. Peter DeFazio, hopes the "Hang Up" -- madly clever name here -- bill will stop Airlines from finding yet another avenue to gouge you and maintaining peace and harmony by banning any in-flight calling. Of course, the door will remain wide open for SMS, mail, IM, and other types of electronic conversation, but we're hoping Skype and friends are on the muzzle list, too.

MVNO Virgin Mobile is taking a rather unusual approach to advertising its new plan features and pricing structures unveiled today, pointing out that they provide "smarter choices in a tough economy." For monthly plans, those "smarter choices" include unlimited nights and weekends starting at 7pm (well, we suppose weekends start at 12am, but you get what we mean) and unlimited messaging for a reasonable $10 monthly. Prepaid plans, meanwhile, are now offering the capability to "roll forward" up to 5,000 unused minutes when the account is re-upped within 30 days. Minute packs are now available in $20, $30, and $50 increments equaling 200, 400, and 1,000 minutes, respectively, knocking the per-minute price down to 5 cents at the highest level. The new goodies are all available immediately.

[Via Phone Scoop and MobileTechNews]

Virgin Mobile's slowly (and we do mean slowly) moving into the 21st century with its ultra-cheap prepaid offerings; in the past they've frequently foregone features most of us consider standard like Bluetooth and external displays in an effort to keep the sticker shock to a minimum, but thanks to the wonders of modern technology, Virgin's getting close to being able to offer a circa-2008 feature set in 2008. Here we have the Flare courtesy of LG, a glossy lil' flip that serves up a color screen out front, Bluetooth, speakerphone, and mobile web access for a penny shy of $30 -- contract-free. The FCC filing (it's the LX175) reveals a lack of EV-DO, but seriously, what do you expect for the price?

[Thanks, Eric C.]

[Via Textually]

Hot on the heels of dismal news from the Helio camp comes word that frowns are all the rage over at Virgin Mobile, too. After warning that "current quarter subscriber growth would fall to a range of 5,000 to 20,000" (compared to a net gain of 210,000 in Q4) and expressing concerns that the weakness in the US economy would further harm its chances at having a stupendous decent year, shares of its stock sank some 54-percent to $2.30 (but did manage to recover somewhat). Potentially more worrisome, however, was the pessimistic views from analysts; for instance, Bear Stearns' Phil Cusick noted that after two disappointing quarters in a row, he felt that the "softening economy and increased competition had eliminated management's ability to forecast its business." Of course, when the street expects your revenue to increase by some 20-percent and you calmly explain that it downright "will not grow this year," we suppose the stock drop isn't all that shocking.

[Via mocoNews]

A four-pack of carriers is getting sued over the infringement of three 2007 patents that appear to center around the concept of picture caller ID -- but here's the best part, it's actually a different dude from a different company than the one that sued Apple. US Cellular, T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile, and Helio are all named in the suit, suggesting that either the remainder of major US carriers have already licensed the technology, or this so-called Intellect Wireless just has a very bizarre way of choosing its defendants. So here's our question: what picture caller ID technology was patented by some random company in 2007 that these guys could possibly be violating?

Emphasizing that Virgin Mobile India's launch is a "brand franchise," not an MVNO, Virgin chief Sir Richard Branson has unveiled the partnership with Tata Teleservices to bring the company's marque to a range of CDMA handsets in one of the world's largest and fastest-growing mobile markets. The franchising scheme is an interesting one because it allows both Tata and Virgin to hook up with other partners, and indeed, Branson has already said that he'll be shopping the service to GSM carriers later this year. As part of the launch, Virgin Mobile is touting ten "industry firsts" -- and while most of them are marketing mumbo jumbo, it's notable that every single phone offered by the carrier MVNO brand features a color display and FM radio. The service is available now.

[Via mocoNews]

Who wants to talk to customer service if they don't have to? Lucky Virgin Mobile customers (and soon-to-be customers) just got a free pass to spend a little less time on the horn with company reps thanks to the MVNO's deployment of Telespree's over-the-air provisioning wizardry. Apparently, the entire process now requires zero human intervention from beginning to end for both new customers and upgrades alike. Kinda ironic that we're buying a phone to talk to others and we no longer have to talk to others, isn't it?

Virgin Mobile's October IPO raked in a solid $412.5 million -- a little bit off its highest estimate, yeah, but still boatloads (and when we say "boatloads," we mean "hundreds of millions of dollars") higher than what it had thought it could get when it first announced its intentions to go public. A new class action suit alleges that the $412.5M figure was inflated, though, by Virgin's fudging of third quarter revenue figures which conveniently have since been revised down to indicate a $7.3M loss. Unfortunate coincidence? Maybe, but Virgin's stock fell a solid 14.4 percent on news of the redone numbers, so we can understand that a few shareholders might be grumbling about the sitch. Meanwhile, the MVNO's form letter reaction to the news is in full effect, claiming that the lawsuit is "completely without merit," so we're guessing this one's gonna be tied up in the legal system for a hot minute or two.