The Canadian-style quadruple play is being adopted in the UK with cable operator NTL acquiring Virgin Mobile for about £1B. The deal also includes licensing of the Virgin brand for the next 30 years for at least £8.5M per year.
Bundling TV, internet, phone and mobile services is new to the UK. The Virgin brand is very powerful and is being seen as helpful for NTL to shed a reputation of less than stellar service.
Keep in mind that Virgin has no network of its own – it operates as an MVNO in all of its markets. It has a youthful subscriber base, highly-energized and motivated employees and a powerful brand.
There are lessons to be learned from Virgin for all of the stodgy companies out there. Note that Andrew Black, president and CEO of Virgin Mobile Canada, will be speaking on June 14 on the Consumer Services Panel at The Canadian Telecom Summit.