Virgin Media 2009 Annual Report Download - page 74

Summary Mobile Statistics
Selected statistics for our mobile customers, for the three months ended December 31, 2009 as
well as the prior four quarters, are set forth in the table below. Between December 31, 2008 and
December 31, 2007, the number of mobile customers decreased by a net 276,900 customers. Contract
customer net gains of 273,100 were offset by net losses of 550,000 prepay customers. The growth in
contract customers reflects the drive for ‘‘quad-play’’ packages through cross-selling with our cable
products. The decline in prepay customers reflects increased competition in the prepay market and our
strategy not to focus on the lower value end of the prepay market.
During the three months ended June 30, 2009, we changed the definition of an active prepay
mobile customer from one who had an outbound call or text in the preceding 90 days to one who had
an outbound call or text in the preceding 30 days. Accordingly, opening prepay mobile customers, net
prepay mobile customer additions (disconnections), data cleanse, closing prepay mobile customers, total
closing mobile customers, mobile average revenue per user and average mobile customers have been
restated in all of the three month periods set forth in the table below:
Three months ended
December 31, September 30, June 30, March 31, December 31,
2008 2008 2008 2008 2007
Contract mobile customers(1):
Opening contract mobile customers . 578,600 491,600 435,700 376,300 328,800
Net contract mobile customer
additions ................... 70,800 78,300 55,900 59,400 47,500
Data cleanse(2) ............... — 8,700 — — —
70,800 87,000 55,900 59,400 47,500
Closing contract mobile customers . . 649,400 578,600 491,600 435,700 376,300
Prepay mobile customers(1):
Opening prepay mobile customers . . 2,854,200 2,941,400 3,093,000 3,244,000 3,241,700
Net prepay mobile customer
additions (disconnections) ...... (160,200) (98,100) (151,600) (109,000) 2,300
Data cleanse(2) ............... — 10,900 — (42,000) —
(160,200) (87,200) (151,600) (151,000) 2,300
Closing prepay mobile customers . . . 2,694,000 2,854,200 2,941,400 3,093,000 3,244,000
Total closing mobile customers .... 3,343,400 3,432,800 3,433,000 3,528,700 3,620,300
Mobile average revenue per user(3) . £ 13.35 £ 13.60 £ 13.34 £ 12.61 £ 13.17
Mobile ARPU calculation:
Mobile service revenue (millions) . . £ 134.6 £ 139.9 £ 139.3 £ 134.5 £ 142.0
Average mobile customers ........ 3,360,400 3,427,500 3,481,500 3,556,300 3,593,900
(1) Mobile customer information is for active customers. Prepay customers are defined as active customers if they have made
an outbound call or text in the preceding 30 days. Contract customers are defined as active customers if they have entered
into a contract with Virgin Mobile for a minimum 30-day period and have not been disconnected. Contract mobile
customers include customers who have taken either a mobile service or a mobile broadband contract.
(2) Data cleanse activity with respect to the three months ended September 30, 2008 resulted in an increase in contract and
prepay mobile customer numbers as disclosed above. Data cleanse activity with respect to the three months ended
March 31, 2008 resulted in a decrease in prepay mobile customers as disclosed above. Previously this data cleanse was
shown within net prepay mobile customer additions (disconnects).
(3) Mobile monthly average revenue per user, or Mobile ARPU, is calculated on a quarterly basis by dividing mobile service
revenue (contract and prepay) for the period, by the average number of active customers (contract and prepay) for the
period, divided by three. For the purpose of calculating Mobile ARPU, we have spread the data cleanse evenly over the
three months of the quarter in which the data cleanse has been reported.
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