I was previously with O2 (BT Cellnet) and see an ad on the internet for Virgin Mobile. So I went to their website and see their tarrif - 15p a minute for the first 5 minutes of calls each day then 5p thereafter.

With O2 I was paying 35p a minute, which I realised was a rip-off so I ordered a Virgin SIM Pack costing £10.00 with £5.00 of free calls included. On the website said I had the option of taking my number with me so I didn't have the worry of a new one.

It got here the next day, which I was very pleased with as I thought it was going to be 3-4 days.

Virgin Mobile runs on the One2One (T-Mobile) network but even so the coverage is excellent. Dispite other reviews saying the coverage is poor I get a full signal where I live and half signal when I went for a holiday down on the south coast - which I thought was very good. I could send text messages and make calls just as I could with O2 and with the same quality.

Back to the tarrif. Virgin Mobile offer free line rental - whether you pay monthly or pay-as-you-go. I am currently on the pay-as-you-go but considering moving to pay monthly as it is much more convenient.
Every month if you spend more than £30.00 on calls you get a 10% bonus free call credit whether you pay-as-you-go or pay monthly which none of the other networks offer.

I did however have a problem with my voicemail service (which is free by the way - which was another reason why I moved to Virgin Mobile as I was fed up of paying 10p a minute to access my messages) in that I couldn't get it set up. I called the customer care (free of course) and was put through almost immediately. They were very helpful, polite and courtious and my problem was solved.

I took my number with me, which I done by calling the customer care. It was done with no problems at all in 5 days (I could of course my phone as normal during that period). It was free - which was another reason why I moved.

There
is an international sevice where you can make international calls from the UK and use your phone abroad (make calls and send text messages). The rates are very chep, but the only downside is that you need to pay monthly to use your phone whilst abroad.

Overall I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Virgin Mobile. You don't need to get a new phone - a sim pack costs £10 and you can take your number with you. You can of course get a new phone with them if you need a new one. The calls are cheaper than any other network - line rental is free and the coverage is excellent.