Virgin Mobile's quarterly connections up 19%

Virgin Mobile's new subscriptions for the second quarter were up 19% on last year.

It now has 1.8 million customers, helping it to move into profit.

Virgin Mobile says the number of quarterly net connections was 171,367.

This compares with 143,738 during the same period last year, and is 4.3% higher than the previous quarter.

The company says the performance is due to increased market penetration, as the number of shops which sell its phones has risen to 6,000.

It says it's now the top-selling phone brand in Tesco, Sainsbury and Safeway.

Chief executive Tom Alexander says: "Despite the economic chaos in the rest of the telecoms sector, Virgin Mobile shines as a sparkling exception.

"Our growth continues to accelerate, we've moved into profit and we're looking forward to an even brighter, more colourful future."