Mobile phone operator Virgin Mobile yesterday reported record first quarter sales for 2003 after more than 250,000 new customers signed up for its service.

The first three months of 2003 showed the greatest quarter of sales since the company launched in November 1999, rising 54 per cent on a year earlier.

With a customer base of more than 2.6 million people, Virgin is the UK's fifth-biggest mobile network.

In comparison, mobile giant Vodafone - the world's biggest mobile company with networks across Europe - has a UK customer base of 12.9 million.

Virgin's turnover for the first quarter was just over £1 million a day with total revenues for the year expected to top £400 million compared with £288 million in 2002.

Average revenues per user - a key industry measure - stands at £136 and was flat compared with the previous quarter.

The group is a 50:50 joint venture between Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile network and Sir Richard Branson's Virgin group.

Sir Richard said: "Once again, Virgin Mobile has proven itself to be a genuine recordbreaker.

"More than a quarter of a million new customers joined our service in the first three months of this year."

Tuesday April 29 2003