TORONTO – With a bit of pyrotechnics and a jail cell, Virgin Group president Richard Branson descended on Toronto Tuesday morning to let everyone know wireless number portability is here.
Perched high above Yonge-Dundas Square, Branson (or Sir Richard, as he is often referred) was held captive inside a jail cell suspended from a construction crane. In a pyrotechnic explosion the cell walls burst open and he escaped by using a rope made out of prison bed sheets. After making it safely to the ground, he released "mobile prisoners" from their shackles to symbolize the new-found freedom of all Canadians.
Branson (pictured below) then hosted a media event where he announced that Virgin Mobile has exceeded growth expectations in Canada to date and has passed the 400,000-customer mark.
The company, which operates under an MVNO on the Bell Mobility network, also unveiled a new one-day offer for anyone looking to switch to a new mobile phone company today. Customers who switch their number to Virgin Mobile on Wednesday, March 14, 2007, will be able to get a free phone without having to sign a contract. Customers will receive an airtime credit equal to the value of their new Virgin Mobile phone, exclusive of taxes.
"Two years ago, Virgin Mobile came to Canada to shake up the mobile phone market and we made it our mission to ensure that Canadians benefited from the basic right of number portability," said Branson. "On our second anniversary, it is wonderful that we can celebrate the real freedom of choice that number portability brings to Canadians."
"A December 2006 Synovate study revealed that 41% of Canadians who have signed a contract would switch mobile companies if they could take their number with them," said Andrew Black, president and CEO of Virgin Mobile.
"The biggest winners from the introduction of number portability are Canada’s 18.5 million mobile customers. Now they have the right to switch and take their number with them and in turn, phone companies will have to work hard to keep their customers happy."
Virgin Mobile also unveiled a sneak peek at its new high speed wireless EVDO portal – Virgin Mobile Live – launching this summer. The new service that focuses on music and entertainment features exclusive content from partners including Heavy.com, Virgin Radio International, Virgin Festival, Quickplay & the Virgin Mobile SoundBar – Virgin’s music download store. Virgin Mobile Live customers will also be able to access a smorgasbord of cool stuff from fashion (FT Raw), sports (Sportsnet), the latest celebrity dirt (Star Daily) and movie stuff (Tribute). 
"Virgin Mobile Live will take mobile entertainment to exactly the place customers want it to be – a way to beat boredom in bite sized chunks of fun stuff," said Nathan Rosenberg, chief marketing officer of Virgin Mobile Canada. "Our global entertainment brand has its heritage in music and so we can guarantee this will be a service that customers will actually want to use."
