payLo(TM) by Virgin Mobile Launches with Minutes as Low as 5 Cents

payLo(TM) by Virgin Mobile launched today as the newest extension of Sprint’s powerhouse prepaid portfolio. payLo by Virgin Mobile offers a 400-minute plan for just $20 a month, providing budget-conscious consumers one of the best prepaid wireless values with minutes as low as 5 cents.

This new sub-brand is available now at http://www.virginmobileusa.com/paylo/paylo-plans.html and will begin rolling out at retail this month in drug and convenience stores as well as RadioShack and Best Buy. With payLo by Virgin Mobile, there are no activation or termination fees and no long-term contracts.

"payLo is perfect for low-usage wireless consumers who primarily use voice to stay connected and are looking to keep their wireless spending to roughly $20 or less per month," said Neil Lindsay, chief marketing officer, Virgin Mobile USA. "Pay-as-you-go has been the bread and butter of Virgin Mobile’s base and growth. With the recent introduction of Virgin Mobile’s new Beyond Talk monthly plans for data-centric wireless consumers, we wanted to continue to serve these voice-focused customers the best we can with pay-by-the-minute offers. It’s the perfect complement to our multibrand strategy."

Easy-to-use plans

Simple and easy, payLo by Virgin Mobile includes customer-friendly plans as part of the simplified portfolio:

• On the 400-Minute Plan, a customer gets minutes as low as 5 cents each for one month for $20.
• For those customers who use their phone less frequently, a second option of adding $20 maintains an active account for 90 days and allows customers to take advantage of the basic rate of 20 cents each, for a monthly cost to consumers that can be as low as $7.

Handsets

payLo by Virgin Mobile offers handsets with the most basic functions consumers need – voice mail, text messaging and caller ID. The easy-to-use, affordable and stylish units include the LG101^(R) priced at just $19.99 and the Samsung^(R) M340 at $39.99 (prices exclude taxes).

Top-Up

payLo by Virgin Mobile lets customers activate additional minutes and add money to their account with a $20 Top-Up card and a $10 Top-Up card (prices exclude taxes and fees) to add funds for text messaging, Web access, ringtones, downloads and more. Adding to monthly balances is simple with Virgin Mobile or payLo Top-Up cards, or with a credit/debit card or PayPal account online at www.virginmobileusa.com.

Consumers can take advantage of the following low rates: additional minutes at 20 cents each, texting for 15 cents each and 25 cents per picture message. Those customers who use data can access it through their handset for a basic rate of $1.50 per megabyte.