Walk into a carrier shop anywhere around the world and there’s a good chance that you’ll come across a variety of phones, ranging from iPhones, to Android, to BlackBerry, and maybe some running on Windows. However with Virgin Mobile USA, it seems that the company has decided to partner with Apple and will now only be selling iPhones.Yup this sounds exactly like what you think it does. This means that if you wanted to buy an Android phone and use it on Virgin Mobile’s network in the US, you’d be flat out of luck as the carrier will now only be offering iPhones to its customers. This is part of the carrier’s new “Inner Circle” plan which according to the website, “Get unlimited talk, text and data for $50/month when you join the Inner Circle. And for a limited time, get your first year of unlimited service for only $1. Purchase an iPhone, transfer your number and enjoy.”
To qualify, all customers need to do is purchase an iPhone either from Virgin Mobile or Apple. After the first year is up, the plan will revert back to being $50 a month, and then back down to $1 for six months assuming you were to purchase a new iPhone again after two years of service. We know it sounds a bit complicated but perhaps that’s being on purpose.
Also we should point out that the fine print states that unlimited comes with some strings attached, such as how video streams are capped at 480p, and music at 500 kilobits per second, so unless you really care about high quality streams on the go, perhaps you might want to look elsewhere. There is also ceiling of 23GB a month in which after that your speeds will be throttled. If you’re fine with all of this, then head on over to Virgin Mobile USA’s website for the details.
Note that this does not mean that Android phones will stop working on the carrier’s network, it’s only that they’ll be selling iPhones exclusively from here on out.